Tom and Ginny-Prisoner of Azkaban
by Trixie Black Lestrange
Summary: Tom and Ginny-POA is the sequel to Tom and Ginny-The Beginning. It follows her continued struggle to find her place as Estella/Ginevra and to become that part of herself that her adopted mother had striven to keep from her. Estella continues to find herself and Ginny reveals her true character to ever so many more people. Foreshadowing of coming conflicts.
1. Beginning of Summer

Ginny lay in her bed, her arm under her head, thinking. _He told me he loves me,_ she thought to herself in wonder. _When did he come up with that idea? He should know I'm only eleven, haven't even turned twelve yet!_ She touched her fingers to her lips, blushing in the darkness.

Tom Riddle. He was now fully human, able to do anything since the journal he had been trapped in had been destroyed. He now lived in the Chamber of Secrets, which was in need of repair because of the mindless idiots who had gone down there the year before.

Ginny smiled to herself, thinking of her experiences the past year. Throughout everything that had gone on, she had learned much, including how to defend herself and avoid those she wanted to avoid. That reminded her: she was supposed to teach the twins the hex that Miskenet had used on them.

The red-haired girl yawned and turned over. She'd told them that she'd meet them at midnight in two days, and she'd teach them then. For now, she was going to sleep.

* * *

The next morning when Ginny was sitting at the breakfast table with Ron and Percy, an owl fluttered onto the windowsill, tapping on the window with his beak. Percy, being closest, jumped up and threw open the window, taking the letter from the bird. Ron shared a grin with Ginny, both knowing that their brother was looking for a letter from his girlfriend.

"Oh," Percy said with a frown, glancing at Ron and Ginny.

"Who's it from?" asked Ron teasingly.

"It says, 'Brianna Charleston,'" Percy replied. "It's for Ginny.

Ron frowned. "Better check it for enchantments," he said to Percy, grinning wickedly at Ginny.

Ginny glared at him as their mom turned around, a frown on her face. "Give it to me!" she snapped angrily. The letter jumped out of Percy's hand, flying to Ginny and causing Percy to yelp. "Oh," she said, noticing blood on his hand, "I didn't mean for it to cut you."

Molly looked at Ginny disapprovingly. "Ginevra, no magic out of—"

"I know," Ginny said in annoyance. "I didn't mean to, okay?"

"Don't use that tone of voice with me, Ginevra," Molly snapped, walking over to Percy. "Now let me see your hand, dear."

Ginny watched her mum a minute, then turned her attention to her letter. She decided that she would wait until she was in her room to read it, for Ron was looking on rather curiously, and was not above snatching letters out of her hand.

The owl hopped over to Ginny, snatching part of her pancake off her plate. Ginny giggled and broke her food apart so the owl could grab it better. Ron stared at her. "Ginny, don't let that thing eat off your plate!" he gasped. "You have no idea where it's been!"

"It's an owl, Ron," Ginny replied, irritated. "A post owl. One that mainly flies cross-country or stays in a loft. Exactly where could it have been?"

Ron sputtered and Percy, all healed up, winked at her behind Ron's back.

"Come along," Ginny said to the owl, taking her plate to the sink. It fluttered to her arm and contented itself with preening its feathers. She headed to the stairs just as two sleepy-looking red-heads tumbled down it.

"Woah," said one.

"Ginny's got—"

"An owl!"

"Where'd you get it?" asked George.

Ginny grinned. "It's not mine. It's waiting for a reply to the letter Brianna sent me," she explained.

Fred shrugged. "Smashing. Mum!" he hollered. "Did Ron leave any pancakes for us?"

"No, he ate them all," Percy said sarcastically. "But you can have some pancakes if you want."

Giggling, Ginny headed up the stairs, leaving the twins to marvel at their older brother's sense of humour. Sitting down at her desk, Ginny proceeded to open the letter. Brianna had written excitedly, but cautiously, in case someone else had gotten a hold of the letter:

 _Dear Ginny (that sounds awkward),_

 _We miss you! We had gotten so used to talking to you at school that summer is going to be super boring without you here. Samantha and I could only come up with one way to help that, however. Do you think you could get permission to stay the last two weeks of summer here at our house? Our mum and dad are fine with it if the Weasleys are._

 _What are you going to do for the rest of the summer? Are you going on vacation? Samantha told me we should have remembered to ask you these questions before we left school, but we forgot, of course. Let us know if you can come._

 _And also, Sebastian might be a bit hungry. He can be quite the beggar, so make sure you don't lose any fingers._

 _Kisses and Curses,_

 _Brianna Charleston_

 _Samantha Charleston_

Laughing, Ginny looked up at the owl. "They want me to come to their home," she sighed. "I haven't been there since I was six or seven! I hope mum will let me go."

The owl made a soft sound and hopped over to Ginny's quill, lifting it out of the inkwell slightly.

"I can't yet," Ginny told him with a sigh. "I have to talk to my mum first." The owl made a dejected sound and fluttered to the windowsill, eyeing her. "Oh, you must have been told to come back with an answer," Ginny sighed, standing and picking up her letter. "Well, I'll go ask, then."

Ginny made her way downstairs, finding Percy, Fred, and George still at the table, all three finishing their last few bites of pancake. "Ginny!" her mum said, turning around. "Did you want another pancake?"

"No thank—" Ginny began, but the owl swooped down from an upper floor, landing on Ginny's arm and chirping about wanting a pancake. "Um, sure, as long as you're okay with me feeding it to the owl," Ginny amended her reply.

Molly raised her wand and flipped a pancake straight into Ginny's hand. "There you go."

Ginny began to break up the food and feed it to the owl. "So whose owl is that?" Fred asked her, eyebrow raised.

"Charleston owl," Ginny replied, "from Brianna and Samantha. His name is Sebastian."

"Did one of them name him?" George asked. "Terrible name."

"Better than just plain John," snapped Ginny.

Fred nodded thoughtfully. "I think I remember them. They were your friends a long time ago. Were they at school this year?" Ginny nodded and would have spoken, but her brother continued. "You must be happy to have them as dorm mates after knowing them for a while."

George elbowed his twin and received a strange look. "What?" Fred asked.

"They're not Gryffindors," Ginny told him with a grin. "They're Slytherins. And they want me to spend the last two weeks of summer with them." Ginny looked up at Molly carefully. "May I go to their house for the last two weeks of summer?"

"Ginevra, I'm not letting you out of my sight until you graduate from school," Molly told her firmly. "You're not leaving the Burrow, and if you want to see them, they have to come here."

"Then they come here to stay for two weeks?" Ginny asked.

Molly sighed and nodded. "Better owl them and let them know."

George frowned. "They won't come to our house, though, will they?" he asked. "I mean, they're Slytherins!"

"They will come, but they'll stay with me, away from most of you, I suppose," Ginny replied. "At least until they get used to being here. It'll be quite an adjustment."

"They are to be at least decent to anyone who comes under our roof," Molly warned Ginny, "or they will not be welcomed back."

"What do you consider decent?" Ginny asked. "They will need to know."

Molly frowned. "Why? So they can push the limit?" she snapped.

With a sigh, Ginny replied, "They need to know specifically the Weasley definition of 'decent.' Because it doesn't match theirs."

"To be able to carry on a civil conversation with anyone here in our home," Molly replied. "Now go write your letter and send that owl on its way." She shooed Ginny out of the kitchen without further ceremony.

Ginny dashed up the steps to her room, the twins clattering up the stairs after her. "Gin, wait!" they called out to her when she was shutting her door. She opened it, allowing them in before she shut the door, locking and warding it.

"What is it?" Ginny asked them, sitting down at her desk and beginning her letter to her cousins.

"Um, tomorrow night, right?" Fred asked uncomfortably.

Ginny nodded and George said, "Do the twins play tricks on others like we do?"

Thinking carefully, Ginny nodded again. "But these are Slytherin tricks, not harmless ones, Fred and George. They teamed up with their cousin Megan and gave one of their housemates four ears."

The twins burst out laughing, and Fred sniggered, "Knocking you down the stairs with a rubber hand wasn't exactly harmless, was it, Ginny?"

"I'm a witch," Ginny retorted. "I wouldn't be hurt much. Now, a Muggle, on the other hand...you know."

"Instant death," gasped George dramatically, putting his hand to his forehead and falling backward onto the bed.

Ginny burst into giggles. "Don't mention Muggles dying to the girls while they're here," she warned them. "They might think it quite amusing."

The boys grinned. "Okay, Gin. We'll be careful," they promised.

"We know—" began Fred.

"They have a—" interrupted George

"Slytherin background," Fred added.

"And can't be trusted," they chorused.

Ginny grinned, then became solemn. "Gryffindor has achieved its desired effect on you," she told them. "You're Slytherin haters."

George protested, "No, Gin! Just some of them. Others are fine, but have to keep up the appearance. We know this, but Ron doesn't. He might learn it, and he might not. But you can't compare us to Ron. He doesn't know everything we do because he's not like us, he's not as old as us, and he hasn't been at school as long as us."

Fred nodded approvingly at his twin's speech. "Honest, Ginny," he said. "Third year, I took a Slytherin girl to Hogsmeade. We're not opposed to Slytherins."

Ginny walked over to Fred and threw her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered. "You're the first other than me. You will help when the girls are here, won't you?"

"Maybe—"

"As long as it's not too awkward," Fred added. "But we'll try to help. Ron will, of course, being our little brother, be a pest to them. Hopefully we can deter any fights."

"Thanks," Ginny told them again, releasing Fred and stepping back. She went back to the desk, picked up the note, and handed it to Fred. "Read and sign," she told him.

After quickly glancing through the note, Fred and George went to the desk and picked up Ginny's quill, scrawling their names across the bottom of it. Then Fred wrote something he wouldn't let Ginny see, folded up the paper, and gave it to the owl, who promptly flew out the window.

"What did you write?" Ginny asked him carefully, not sure whether to frown or laugh.

"I wrote, 'We didn't let Ron sign it because he wanted to destroy it,'" Fred replied with a grin. "It's a warning that they should understand."

"How would you know what they understand?" Ginny asked them.

George shrugged. "We're twins; they're twins. And we partially understand Slytherin thinking, so maybe...I really don't know."

"Me either," said Fred. "Just seemed like a good idea at the time."

Ginny burst out laughing. "They'll probably wonder what you're talking about," she said, shaking her head. "Solidify their opinion of you."

Fred and George looked at each other and shrugged. "We're just good like that."

* * *

"We received the letter, Mother," Samantha said, standing at her mother's side and holding the letter up.

Naridia Charleston looked over at her daughter and asked, "What was Estella's reply?"

"Mrs. Weasley will not allow her to come here to stay, but will allow us to come stay at the Burrow," Brianna answered. "Since the Chamber of Secrets scare, Mrs. Weasley doesn't want to let Estella out of her sight."

The woman laughed. "Did the letter mention anything else?"

"Estella was not the only one to sign it: the Weasley twins, Fred and George, signed it as well. And one left us a note saying, 'We didn't let Ron sign it because he wanted to destroy it,'" Brianna told her mother.

"We took that to mean that Ron will be hostile to our stay at the Burrow," Samantha explained. "He's the most prejudiced of the Weasley boys, according to Stel."

Naridia smiled. "Understandable, considering who his friends are." She stood, putting her arms around her girls. "I will speak to your father about your going. I'm fairly certain he will let you go."

Brianna and Samantha hugged their mum and peeked around her at each other, grinning excitedly. "But," their mother continued, and both looked up at her worriedly, "you need to owl Megan, Guinevere, and Cherea that they need to come earlier because you won't be here."

"Yes, Mother," replied the girls, heading off to their room. Samantha sighed. "I still wish we could have all gotten together. Mrs. Weasley is such a pest!"

* * *

Ginny opened her eyes, finding herself lying on the floor in her room. "Ginny, are you—" the redhead's question of concern was met with a startled scream. "Well, you're not okay. Did you have a bad dream?"

"Fred?" Ginny whimpered, throwing her arms around him and sobbing, "it was chasing me!" into his robes.

"I'm here too, Gin," George said awkwardly, looking on. "We heard you fall out of bed and cry out."

Fred hugged Ginny awkwardly, not used to comforting his little sister (the twins usually left that up to Bill and Charlie). "You're safe here, Ginny," he told her softly. "It's all right. Was this the first time you had a bad dream?"

Ginny looked up at the twins and shook her head. "I had one at school just before I came home, and the girls couldn't wake me," she whispered. "It was terrible."

George frowned. "If you keep having bad dreams, and Mum finds out, it'll be even worse," he warned her.

Biting her lip, she nodded, leaning against Fred again. "Silencing Wards," she sighed. "It'll have to do."

"Are you going to go back to sleep?" Fred asked her.

"Can't," Ginny replied, taking a deep breath. "How about learning that hex tonight instead of tomorrow night?"

The boys grinned, and George added, "As long as you're up to it."

Ginny snorted. "I'm a Weasley?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "Let's go."

Laughing softly, the three of them stood up, the boys lifting their wands and dropping a ward. "What was that?" Ginny asked.

"Silencing and Locking Ward," Fred replied with a grin. "Figured that we might need it. Good thing we put it up, 'cause we didn't expect you to scream at us."

Blushing, Ginny apologized, and George told her to shut her mouth. "It's not your fault," he said. "No need to apologize."

The twins stepped outside so that Ginny could change her clothes, coming back to her room with her cloak. "Thanks," she whispered, tiptoeing down the stairs with them. They headed out to the paddock, Fred and George grinning at each other.

 _Tom?_ she asked ©. He didn't reply, and she figured that he was still asleep in the Chamber.

Once they were in the paddock, Ginny began to tell them about the hex. "It's like the Knockback Jinx," she explained. "It will also knock a person away from you, but it's different because it will also render the person unconscious—even if they don't hit a wall or anything. There's no internal damage that I know of, unless they fly backwards into a wall or something."

"What's the incantation?" George asked, and Ginny looked at him awkwardly.

"It's non-verbal," she said softly. Both boys stared, and Ginny went on, "The wand motion is a swirl-and-stab movement. This spell isn't a curse, but still, the steadier you hold your hand, the more control you will have."

Fred looked at his twin, unsure what to do. "Ah," he began, "this isn't a Dark spell, is it, Ginny?"

"No," Ginny replied, "but it requires more control than most spells. Here. I'll do it to that rock right there."

She drew her wand, showing the boys how to swirl-and-stab their wand in the right way. "And now—" Ginny swirl-and-stabbed her wand at the rock.

A light blue streak hit the rock, sending it flying far, far away. Fred and George stared. "Will it send people that far away?" they asked.

"Not unless the caster has a very strong intent," Ginny replied. "And the rock is inanimate, causing it to have no resistance to the spell."

"Ginny, be very careful with this spell," Fred warned her. "Where did you learn to do this?"

"I created this hex," Ginny told them softly, making their mouths drop open, "to protect myself. I've only used it on Miskenet, and she was conscious when she fell to the floor. She was not hurt, but out of breath."

Fred nodded. "And she used it on us—Ginny! You told her to when you knew what it did!" he snapped, frowning.

George stepped closer to his brother, and Ginny heard magic crackle between them. "Ginny, why would you tell her to do that?"

"I was annoyed with you for jumping out at me from behind statues," Ginny replied, readying herself in case she needed to shield against her brothers' spells. "I didn't appreciate your nasty-looking faces, and I—I just told her to practice on you. I'm sorry."

Fred sighed, shaking his head at her. "Ginny, think!" he told her. "It's not our favourite pastime, but still you should think about what you tell people to do!"

George shrugged, stepping up and putting his arm around Ginny. She shifted nervously, feeling magic in his hand and arm. "Gin," he began, "you need to be more careful. What if we weren't so forgiving?"

Ginny scooted away from George, crossing her arms, her wand still in her hand. "I said that I'm sorry," she repeated. "I know what could have happened: I've made enemies before. That's why I have nightmares."

Whirling around, Ginny headed for the house without looking back. Fred glanced at George and hurried after her. "Ginny, wait," he said. "It's okay. We know how much we annoy you sometimes, but we didn't mean to upset you. We're just worried about you. You've changed so much since last summer."

Ginny looked up at him. "And I will continue to change," she told him. "Throughout my school years. Just like you have changed. Times are different, and so are we."

"Ha!" shouted George behind them, and suddenly a rock whizzed past, smashing through the Weasley's kitchen window. "Ooops," he said mildly.

Fred groaned. "Mum's going to kill us," he moaned.

"Maybe not," Ginny said, raising her wand and dashing toward the house. " **Reparo!** " She stepped inside the kitchen, pocketing her wand just as her mother came down the stairs.

"You're up early," Molly said to the three of them. "Did you break something again?" Ginny looked away on purpose and Molly pounced on her. "What did you do, Ginny?"

"I just...tripped over something and made a lot of noise," she said. "I didn't mean to wake anyone up."

Behind their mother, Fred and George had noticed the rock on the floor, and were very worried about it. George slipped his hand into his pocket, grasping his wand and muttering, " **Accio rock**." It flew to his other hand, and he slipped it into his pocket.

"All right," Molly said. "Now all of you leave the kitchen so I can make breakfast."

The three of them walked sedately out of the kitchen, all glancing at each other. In the upstairs hallway, the three of them burst out laughing. "Good thinking, George," Fred said. "I saw that rock and was desperately hoping that she wouldn't see it."

Ginny giggled, "I forgot about it!"

They burst out laughing again, and a door banged open, Ron stumbled out, blinking sleepy-eyed. "I'm trying to sleep!" he growled at them. "Can't you be quiet?"

"And I'm trying to study," said a calm voice behind him.

Ron yelped and whirled around to find that Percy had silently come out of his room as well. "Studying?" Ron asked incredulously. "This early in the morning? You have the Hermione disease."

"No," said Fred with a gasp.

"Not the Hermione disease!" George added, eyes wide.

"Is it—contagious?" Fred asked in a whisper.

Percy scowled at them, then turned and went back into his room, shutting the door with a bang.

"I'm guessing not," Ginny said. "Ron hasn't caught it yet."

Ron glared at the three of them, and they burst out laughing again, heading down the hall to the twins' room. "So, Ginny," began Fred, "do you think that those girls would brainstorm new prank ideas with us?"

Ginny shrugged, grinning. "Probably," she said, turning toward the window at the sound of tapping. "Oh, their owl's back! I wonder what their parents said?" She went over to the window, pulling it open and allowing the owl in.

She took the envelope from it and opened the envelope. "Oh," she said, pulling out a letter with Fred and George's names on the outside. "This is for you two, I suppose. They wrote you too! How nice."

The boys shot her a wary look, but she was already opening her letter. "Oh, goody!" Ginny said happily, bouncing up and down. "They can come, and they already have permission!"

"Yeowww!" shouted one of the twins, falling to the ground.

Ginny turned around to see the letter jump out of George's hand and land on the floor, laughing at Fred. "Read me now," it said.

Fred sighed and picked up the now-silent letter. "'Haha,'" he read. "'The joke's on you. Ginny told us that you like pranks. So how was this one, the slap in the letter? Hope you're not too badly hurt. We'd enjoy reciprocal pranks, of course. Yours truly, the Twin Factor.'"

George looked at Ginny. "Huh?"

"Invitation to the War between the Twins?" Ginny replied with a shrug. "I can't always explain the girls to you."

"There's a postscript," Fred continued. "'By the way, thank you for warning us about...well, you know. Let's just say that you two are the exceptions to the Weasley rule.' Ginny, what on earth?"

"They're thanking you for approving of their visit," Ginny told them, grinning. "And for warning them about Ron."

Fred considered that a moment before nodding. "They seem nice," he said. "Can't wait til they get here." He flashed a wicked grin at his twin and Ginny knew they were already planning to prank her cousins.


	2. Vacation

About a week later, Ginny woke up to her mother shaking her. "Ginny," she sang. "Wake up! We're going on vacation!"

"Wha? Huh?" Ginny mumbled sleepily, turning over. "Go away, Ron."

"Ginny, it's your mum. Wake up! We're going to take a vacation this summer," Molly persisted.

Ginny sat up and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes. "How? Where? When?" she asked.

Molly grinned and sank down on Ginny's bed. "Your father won the _Daily Prophet_ Grand Prize Galleon Draw, and we're going to Egypt to visit Bill!"

"Oh, goodness," groaned Ginny. "More gossip for the Malfoys!"

"Ginevra," Molly said sharply, "we don't worry about that. You should be excited to see your brother! We haven't seen him since—"

"Since Christmas," Ginny interrupted. "I know. All of us stayed at Hogwarts. I sneaked off to the dungeons. That was fun."

Molly frowned, not sure what to make of her daughter's words. "You need to get up and help us prepare," she told her daughter. "Today's Friday, and we are leaving Monday morning."

Ginny yawned and stretched, then rolled out of bed away from her mother, landing on the floor. She stood up quickly, walking to her dresser and pulling out her clothes for the day. "Are we going anywhere today?" she asked her mother.

"No, we'll be shopping tomorrow," Molly replied, standing to leave the room. "And did you get a reply from your—the Charleston girls?"

"Yes," Ginny replied, pulling her favourite soft blue robe over her head. "They said that they can come: their parents said they could." Molly nodded and left the room.

 _Tom_ , Ginny sighed in annoyance, _life is so much more complicated now._

 _It'll be worse later,_ Tom told her with a mental shrug. _My cousin will see to that._ Ginny scowled and a single word came to her mind. _Ginny, don't dwell on bad words,_ Tom warned her. _You'll accidentally say one out loud and get broomed by Molly._

Ginny snickered. _I'll probably get myself in big trouble eventually,_ she told Tom. _Not now, I hope. Or when the girls are here. Or while I'm in Egypt._

 _Oh, yes,_ Tom said in amusement. _Tell me about this Pharaoh brother of yours._

Giggling, Ginny replied, _He's not a Pharaoh, Tom. He's a curse-breaker, or something like that._

Tom laughed to himself. _Of course, Ginny. And you're going to go see him._

 _Well, duh, Tom,_ Ginny retorted. _Our family is so random. We win galleons and spend it lavishly. Sometimes I wonder..._

 _Don't end that thought, Ginny Love,_ Tom ordered firmly. _You have to trust your parents, you know._

 _I do,_ Ginny replied. _I was just thinking._

 _Be careful how you think._

 _I am,_ Ginny sighed, heading upstairs to ask her mother what she needed to do to get ready. Molly was in her room throwing things randomly out of the drawers, making Ginny duck everything that was flying through the air.

"What did you want me to do to help?" Ginny asked. "Did you have a packing list ready?"

Molly turned around and multiplied the piece of paper she pulled out of her pocket. "Here," she said, handing Ginny one. "This is the main list that everyone needs. Then I'll be by to pack other and last minute things."

Ginny took the paper, nodded once, and went back to her room. _Hey, Ginny, may I come to your room?_ Tom asked.

 _Sure,_ Ginny replied, and instantly, Tom was there.

Without speaking to her, Tom raised his hands and with a crackle of powerful magic, wards went up on her room. "There," he said, turning around and smiling in satisfaction. "Sound proof, and no one can get in."

"You have to teach me how to do that," Ginny told him, opening her drawer and beginning to pack what was on her mother's list. "It would be so helpful when I'm down in the Slytherin girls' dorm."

"I will," Tom said, "or you would eventually learn it from the Slytherins. It's a twelve point ward, though, with the Elementals as axis points..." his voice trailed off. "It's not too hard when you know what you're doing."

Ginny snorted. "I'm sure. No wonder you find it easy, Tom."

Tom laughed and dived onto the bed, watching Ginny. "It would be easy for you after a few days of practice," he told her. "Then you could set ward traps and curse traps for nearly anyone you wish. You can make it so that if someone sits in a certain chair, it spills them out onto the floor."

"That'd be fun," Ginny said to herself, setting an ugly red robe aside. "Nasty," she muttered to herself. "Scratchy, clashes with my hair, not going to wear that on vacation."

Tom laughed again, turning over and watching Ginny upside-down. "Picky Ginny," he teased her, and she turned around, whopping him across the forehead with her socks. "Hey!" he protested, grabbing her wrist and turning over. Her eyes taunted him, and he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her and murmuring against her ear, "I'm glad you survived."

After a moment, Tom released Ginny, and she awkwardly walked away from him, continuing her packing. "So, do you think you'll be going sightseeing?" Tom asked her finally.

"Probably," Ginny replied. "Bill will probably give us a tour. This is going to be such a strange vacation, Tom."

"Strange how?" Tom asked curiously.

"Well, it's the first time I've seen Bill since I started school, and since I learned who I really am, and—Tom, he probably knows all about that," Ginny said worriedly.

Tom nodded understandingly. "He'll be a good older brother to you, though, Ginny. I'm sure that since he's older and more experienced in the world that he'll understand you."

"Thanks," sighed Ginny. "I hope so."

* * *

"Fred! George!" shouted Molly. "Come down here this instant! We're ready to leave!"

Two trunks zoomed down the stairs, Fred and George atop them, hopping off at the end and winking at Ginny. "Ready, Mum," they reported.

"Finally," sighed Molly, ignoring the fact that they had enchanted their trunks to fly. "We're going to Floo to where Bill is supposed to meet us. The name of the place is 'Cornerstone Gateway.'"

"What a name," Fred said, and Percy frowned at them.

"Just get on with it," Ron huffed in annoyance.

Molly nodded. "I'm going first, then Fred and George will follow. Ron, Percy, Ginny, and then Dad," she rattled off. "Be prompt—and don't lose yourselves." She glared at Fred and George.

"What are you looking at us for?" protested one.

"It wasn't us last time; it was Harry," the other added.

"Go on, Molly," Arthur said, interrupting her and the twins.

Lifting her trunk into the fireplace with her, Molly grabbed the Floo powder, threw it down, and pronounced distinctly, "Cornerstone Gateway." She disappeared in the green flames.

Fred and George quickly went after her, the two of them taking Ron's and Ginny's trunks. Ron hurried after the twins, muttering something about how he hoped that Fred wouldn't lose his trunk. Ginny snickered, knowing that George had been the one who'd taken Ron's trunk.

Percy stepped forward with his trunk and calmly proceeded to disappear into the green flames. Ginny's dad motioned to her. "Your turn, Gin," he said with a smile.

Ginny took some Floo powder into her hand and stepped into the fireplace. "Cornerstone Gateway," she pronounced distinctly. She whirled through the Floo Network before it dumped her out unceremoniously in Egypt. Ginny stumbled a step and stood upright, looking around her.

Several feet away, her mother was hugging a tall, red-haired boy and almost crying over him. Ginny sighed. Her mother made such a scene sometimes. Fred, George, and Ron were jabbering excitedly, and Percy was standing a little way off, waiting until his mother and brothers finished making a spectacle of themselves.

Her dad came through the Floo just then and hurried past Ginny into the group of his family, giving his oldest son a big hug. Ginny stood silently, watching her family reunite with their oldest son and brother. They didn't notice her, standing off by the Floo, having been next to last. Bill hadn't even looked up to see who had come through the Floo when she'd come.

She watched them talk endlessly about the preparations that had been made, and how they were "so glad that the vacation was finally started." Ginny scowled to herself as she watched them. She couldn't wait until it was over.

"Would you like to see where you're going to stay?" Bill asked them.

"Yes," said Molly, "we're all here now."

Arthur frowned. "Where's Ginny? Didn't she come through the Floo before me?"

Molly panicked. "Ginny!" she shrieked, receiving a strange look from a passerby.

Ginny stepped forward, smirking inwardly, and the Weasleys turned to frown at her. Bill was watching her carefully, and Ginny felt that she was being examined like a dangerous magical creature that had to be documented.

"You're not shy, are you?" Bill asked, half teasing. "I'm not dangerous, you know."

Ginny stepped forward little by little until she looked up into her brother's eyes. _But I am,_ she said in his mind.

Alarmed, he nearly stepped back, but instead stepped forward and put his arms around Ginny. "I haven't seen you in a while," he said softly. "You've changed, Ginny. Or do you prefer to be called Ginevra?"

She looked up at him again and said, _Only mom and Tom call me Ginevra._ "Just Ginny," she replied aloud. The look of shock in his eyes was more than she could stand, and she giggled. _Or you could just call me by my real name,_ she added in his mind.

"Why so shocked, Bill?" Fred teased.

"Did you think she'd want you to call her by her grown up name?" George added.

"Why, she's only—"

"A little girl!" they chorused, and Bill shrugged nonchalantly at them.

He looked down at Ginny. "Talk to you later?" he whispered to her, and she gave him a tiny smile. "I can have a couple of you stay in my flat if you want to," he told the family out loud. "Fred, George? I was thinking of you."

Their mother nodded, and the twins grinned excitedly. "What about Ginny?" Bill asked. "Could she stay too?"

Molly bit her lip, frowning, and Arthur said, "Now, Mum, she'll be all right there. Won't you, Ginny." Ginny grinned slightly at her dad, then returned to her normal solemn face.

"All right, then," said Bill. "Off we go." He led the rest of the family to the inn where they would be staying, showing them their rooms.

"Ginny," her mother said to her as she was about to leave with Fred, George, and Bill, "if you get afraid or anything, you can always come stay here with us."

Barely retaining a yell of exasperation, Ginny nodded slowly. Bill put his arm around her shoulders and herded her away from Molly. "Protective mother, isn't she?" Bill asked his three siblings.

Ginny scowled. "Way too much so," she snapped. "I wish she'd stop it. I feel so smothered sometimes!"

"Ginny," Fred said, none too gently, "we've been here less than an hour, and you're being a brat."

"It's not bothering me," Bill told Fred. "I picked you three to stay because I figured you needed to get away from some of the rest of our family. And because I wanted to talk to you without Mum looking after and listening to us."

Grinning, Ginny said, "Bill, you're so wicked."

"Just like you," he replied with a smirk.

"That smirk doesn't look right on a Weasley face," George told him, and the boys laughed together.

Bill shrugged as they reached a doorway in a chain of apartments. "Here is my little place," he told them, taking out his wand and unlocking the door by placing his hand and wand against it. "Make yourself at home, and all that," he added. "There's a couch, and an extra room, so decide who gets what. Settle in, and then we're to go meet the rest of the family for lunch in a few hours."

Fred and George nodded and turned to Ginny. "Dibs on the couch," Fred said. "You care?"

"No," Ginny replied. "I can sleep anywhere. Even on a stone floor. Just make sure it's not too soft."

Bill shrugged. "I'm not your mother," he said. "If you don't like how the bed or couch feels, change it."

The three looked at each other and grinned wickedly. "Thanks," Ginny breathed softly, looking thankfully up at her oldest brother. He winked at her, then turned and went into his room.

"Okay, then," George said. "First of all, the pattern on this couch is ugly."

"Ugly as Crabbe," Fred agreed, making Ginny's eyes grow wide. "Don't look at us like that, Ginny. Let's see..." Fred transfigured the pattern into a strange leaf/crest pattern, grinning in satisfaction. "There we go," he said. "Now you do the colour."

George raised his wand, flicked it once, and changed the couch to black and blue. Ginny giggled, then put a Weightless Charm on her trunk and balanced it on her head, walking into the second bedroom.

"Can you manage the Transfig?" George asked.

"Or do you need the experts to help you?" Fred queried.

Ginny gave them a half sarcastic look. "I can transfigure things that my dorm mates had to have a seventh year change back. I'll probably be okay." Flopping down on the bed, she added, "Only thing I might change is the colour, which isn't that hard. Thanks, though."

"Of course!"

"Anything for—"

"Our baby sister!"

Ginny rolled her eyes at them and began unpacking, making them shake their heads at her. "I want to be all unpacked so I don't have to search for things in order to go out for lunch," she explained. "You might want to get yourselves organized too."

Fred and George shook their heads at each other and walked back into the living room. A few minutes later, a soft knock sounded at the door, and Ginny called, "Come in!"

Bill came in carefully, shutting the door and locking it behind him. Ginny raised her wand and placed a Silencing Ward on the room before Bill could say anything. "Sorry," he said. "Forgot that. Estella—Ginny—you know who you are, don't you?"

"Yes," replied Ginny softly. "I learned that I am Estella Parkington while I was at school. My real parents are Death Eaters, and the Charleston girls are my cousins—as well as many, many others."

" _Were_ Death Eaters," Bill corrected her, but Ginny shook her head.

"They're still on the run," she replied. "They are Death Eaters, Bill. My parents." Ginny smiled proudly.

Bill frowned. "Ginny, you're proud of them for being Muggle torturers and Auror killers?" he asked sharply.

"No," Ginny said strongly. "I'm proud of them for being my parents, and for standing for what they believe. The world would be quite boring if no one stood for their beliefs."

"Just be careful, Ginny," Bill sighed. "Mum will be very disappointed if—well, if anything happens because you learned your true identity."

"I understand," Ginny replied, placing her hand over his. "I don't want Mum to know for quite some time, though. She'll worry too much, and she's already overly worried."

Bill stood, pacing away from her. "Do you remember your life and what happened before you became a Weasley?" he asked, turning around suddenly.

Ginny shook her head, looking down at her hands clasped together in her lap. "I can't remember my real mum and dad, or even my stay in the orphanage," she whispered. "I still can't believe that I lived in an orphanage for over a year. I can't remember it."

Her brother nodded, rubbing a hand over his face. "That makes sense," he agreed. "I think that your memories were modified, but I can't be sure unless I checked. I know that you had a very strong aversion to Ron and our mum when you first arrived at the Burrow. Fred and George annoyed you, but you got along all right with Charlie and Percy."

"What about Dad and you?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"You adored us because we had—have—a soft spot for you," Bill replied with a sheepish grin. "We found it hard to tell you 'no.' Mum finally got fed up with your—attitudes, and left the house with you one day. When she came back, you had red hair and freckles, your eyes were brown, and you got along with everyone except Ron. I don't think she could mask a dislike that strong."

Ginny stared. "You mean, they left my hair black for a little while?" she gasped.

Bill nodded and replied, "You were nearly three years old when Mum changed you. You didn't remember that your father and I were your favourites, and he and I tried to find out what Mum did, but she wouldn't say. Dad always believed that Mum had hidden memories of your real parents and of your other friends and things from you. You knew nothing of life outside our family, and you became silent." Bill sat down on the bed, shaking his head. "You had to learn to speak and walk all over again, and after you learned, you would rarely speak to any of us."

"Oh," Ginny whispered. "I remember Ron making fun of me because I held onto Charlie's hand at first in order to learn to walk. He thought I was stupid for forgetting how to walk."

"You remember that?" Bill asked in amazement. "Wow. Your memories must not have been disturbed after Mum changed you. Do you want me to see if I can help restore your memories?"

 _Ginny Love, be careful what you allow him to see in your mind_ , Tom warned her out of nowhere, making her jump in shock.

"It's all right, of course, if you don't," Bill added, seeing her jump.

"No, it's fine," Ginny told her brother. "I want to know what pieces of my mind I'm missing." _Tom, you made me make Bill feel uncomfortable_! she complained to him.

 _Sorry,_ Tom replied. _I can't have an imbecile poking around in your brain._

 _He's my brother!_ snapped Ginny angrily, turning back to Bill. "Go ahead," she told him recklessly. _I don't care,_ she hissed defiantly at Tom, who was silent.

"All right," Bill said, coming toward Ginny, his wand drawn. "I don't know if I'll be able to do anything, but I'll see what's happened and perhaps we can figure out how to bring the charms down."

He tilted Ginny's face up and put his wand to her temple. She closed her eyes, following Tom's instructions to hide her thoughts of him, her cousins, her Parselmouth abilities, and everything he was certain she needed to hide. "There are Charms here," he muttered to himself. "I don't know if I can..." Bill whispered a spell and Ginny whimpered a little, shuddering with the magical impact.

"I'm sorry," he told her, removing his wand from her forehead. "I weakened the Charms, but it will take something besides me to break them completely. And the force of the memories being released back to you could possibly knock you unconscious, Ginny."

"Thank you for helping me," she said as he put his arm around her, giving her a hug. "I want to regain my memories."

Bill smiled, then jumped in surprise when he heard the sound of magic crackling against magic. "That must be Fred and George," he said, standing and going to open the door. "Did you need something?" he asked the twins.

"It's twenty past twelve," Fred said pointedly.

"Past time to eat," George added.

"Who was saying that we sometimes need to get away from the family?" Fred asked, eyebrow raised. "Just wait til Mum hears you made us late. She'll broom you just like old times."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Right after I tell her you did magic out of Hogwarts," he replied.

"You told us we could!" protested George as his twin gasped, "You wouldn't!"

"Just because someone tells you to do something doesn't mean you should," Ginny informed the twins, sounding very much like Percy. "Come along then." Raising her wand, Ginny _accioed_ her cloak from the wardrobe and pulled it around her shoulders.

"Ginny did it too," protested Fred, hurrying after his older brother. "Don't tell Mum, Bill. Please?"

Bill shrugged. "Depends on you," he replied, and Ginny giggled, making the three boys look at her.

She grinned at them and said, "Just tell Mum that you couldn't find your cloak quickly, or that it was at the bottom of the trunk or something. It'll be all right."

They all nodded conspiratorially and proceeded to the apparition point. Bill held out his hands, Ginny clasping one of them. Fred took his brother's arm ceremoniously, catching hold of his twin's hand. "Ready to go, ma'am," he said with a grin.

Bill shot him a dirty look and disapparated. Upon arriving, the others found Fred sitting on the ground, the other three standing around him grinning. "How did you do that?" Fred asked him curiously.

"Intent," Bill replied. "Not wanting you to find your footing upon appearing here. It's simple, actually. Dangerous, though. Splinched one of my friends here trying to do that."

George sighed. "Ginny's so much like you, Bill," he said, and Fred nodded in hearty agreement. "She's so simply dangerous."

Looking over at Ginny, Bill gave a small shrug. "At least he could be put back together. I don't think Ginny's torn anyone apart," he chided the twins.

"Yet," Fred said morosely.

"You never say things like that," scolded Ginny. "Stop! I'm not about to tear anyone apart." She turned around and walked out of the apparition point, going to meet the others who were standing a little way off.

Molly turned to Ginny concernedly. "Are you going to be comfortable at Bill's flat, Ginny?" she asked.

Ginny smiled. "Yes, Mum," she replied demurely. "It's very nice."

"Follow me," Bill said to the family, grinning. "There's a nice restaurant up here that we can take lunch at. Then I have many things to show you while you're here."

Arthur nodded, heading after Bill and Ginny, who tucked her hand into her brother's hand and smiled up at him. He squeezed her hand, leading his family on.


	3. Icythan

Ginny stepped back, away from her family as Bill explained yet another engraved message on the wall of a tomb. She was tired of exploring pyramids and such, wanting to go back to her room in her brother's flat. Turning aside from her group, she headed into the tomb ahead of them, reaching into her pocket to grab her wand in case she needed it.

After winding several yards through the tunnels, Ginny passed an archway, getting a strange feeling. Turning back to the archway, she looked carefully at it, wary of her feelings and not sure what to think. Stepping up to the wall, Ginny was about to touch it when she heard her mother screech, "Ginny! Where are you?"

Her family, led by Bill, came running down the tunnels to her. "Why did you sneak away from us?" snapped Molly angrily. "You have no idea what is in this place."

"It's safe, Mum," Bill replied, glancing at Ginny carefully. "She might get lost, but she wouldn't be hurt."

"Is there a passageway here?" Ginny asked Bill, turning to him as she pointed to the archway.

Ron snorted. "Ginny, if there were, then it would be open."

"Not necessarily," Percy said sensibly. "If it were unpredictable, or had a curse that reset the curse wards, then it would be shut off."

"You're not the first to feel that way, Gin," Bill replied. "Truthfully, I thought the same thing myself, and so did some of the other curse-breakers, but no one could figure out how to open it. We've explored every inch of the walls for a release trigger or something, but there are no wards on this door, if it is a door. We just couldn't figure this archway out. It doesn't make sense for an arch to nowhere to be here, and it doesn't look like it's for decoration."

"No wards?" Ginny said quizzically, reaching out near the wall. "I can feel the magic to it, Bill. The other places you showed us were not like this. There is some kind of ward, or charm, or something on here."

Molly scowled impatiently and grabbed Ginny's arm. "Ginevra," she snapped, frustrated, "stop it this instant. Your brother has been working here for months and knows this place better than you do."

Ginny looked at her mother's hand, then up at her mother, a meaningful expression on her face. Turning back to the wall, Ginny repelled her mother's hand from her shoulder, making her mum shriek at her. Ginny didn't listen to the shrieking, but heard Percy say, "Ginny, you're being a brat. Stop it."

"Perhaps you and the twins agree on something for once," Ginny said mildly. Reaching forward, she touched the wall beneath the arch, immediately hearing a voice whisper, "Speak and enter."

Yanking her hand back, Ginny stared at the designs that were appearing in the wall. "What have you done?" Ron and Arthur gasped in a breath, stepping forward to watch more closely.

Bill yanked Ron back, his wand in his hand. "Ginny, what did you do?" he asked firmly, watching the serpent designs writhe and grow as strange letters mixed with some letters from the English alphabet appeared on the door.

"I only touched it!" Ginny whispered, listening for the whisper she'd heard before. "I only touched it once!" Feeling someone move behind her, Ginny avoided her mother's grab for her arm.

"Ginevra, get back," hissed her mother.

"Mum, don't move her," Bill ordered. "We don't know what's happening and moving her might cause a cave-in or something."

Molly's face became pale, and Ginny faced the door once more, her feet never having moved. "Can you read it?" Ginny asked Bill. "I can't make sense of it."

"Only the first few lines," he replied. "I think it's a rhyme. It says, 'Speak aloud the script below—Never doubt til you know—the power of words is strong—pain is yours to get it wrong.' Great."

"Why did you look at it, Ginny?" groaned Fred. "Now we're all going to die slow, painful deaths."

Ron muttered something to himself, and George asked, "What did you say, Ron? It sound like you were hissing to yourself." Fred sniggered and the twins glanced at each other before bursting into laughter.

"Ron," Ginny asked, "were you reading the wall?"

He scowled at her. "Yes. But it makes no sense, and you're being stupid, Ginny."

 _Stupid,_ thought Ginny to herself. _Stupid! I'll show you stupid!_ She took a deep breath and began to read the words off the wall, speaking in Parseltongue. By the time they realized what she was doing and Molly shrieked at her to stop, she spoke the last two words, raising her wand and pronouncing " **Testudo!** "

The curses the room shot out were shielded by her ward, although her father and Bill were knocked backward as a soft explosion was heard and the door shuddered and began to move upward. Bill looked up from the ground, seeing Ginny still at the door, which was rising. In fact, where Ginny was was rising, steps forming up to the gaping blackness of the archway.

"Ginny!" cried her father, trying to stand but unable to, both he and Bill having received a curse for being too close.

Ginny looked into the darkness, then turned around, looking down the steps at her family. "Well, it's a Parselmouth Ward," Ginny said with a shrug. "Do you think I'm stupid now, Ron?"

Ron, staring at his sister, did not reply, but Molly did. "Ginevra Molly Weasley, get down here this instant! How dare you speak that vile tongue! I am going to broom you when we get back to our rooms! I can't _believe_ you—eeekkk!"

Ginny frowned, wondering what made her mother stop when she realized that dozens of serpents had slithered out of the darkness behind her and were heading toward her mother. "No!" Ginny shrieked in Parseltongue. "Stop! Don't you dare bite her! Or any of them!"

"They are _hisssusss_ ," replied one of the serpents, all of them stopping to look at her. "They do not ssspeak. Our massster and missstress told us that we must protect what they have hidden from the ones who do not speak."

"Thisss isss my family," hissed Ginny. "They are from my parentsss' nest and you cannot hurt them. They will not take from your master and missstress: they are too frightened already. Leave them alone."

The serpents hissed among each other, and Ginny asked, "Where isss your leader?"

One serpent slithered to the edge of the darkness and hissed, "Thisss isss my nest, young one. Thessse bitematesss are mine. We will _sissshausss_ your nestmatesss."

"No!" snapped Ginny, stomping her foot impatiently. "You cannot kill them."

"We will not," said the old serpent. "If you promissse..."

"Promissse what?" Ginny hissed with a frown.

The old serpent slithered down to her, and she knelt down to speak to him. "Promissse to keep massster and missstress' secrets."

Ginny nodded. "I promissse."

"To keep thisss promissse, you will take one of the young bitematesss with you," the old serpent informed her, eyeing her father as he seemed to choke on something. "The _hisssusss_ will be yoursss. But you must keep the bitemate with you while you are here: I know you are not from our home."

"Yesss," Ginny agreed, wondering what the serpent meant.

"Icythan," the serpent hissed to a smaller serpent, "you will go with the one who speaksss and make sure she keepsss our secretsss."

The little serpent slithered up to Ginny and many of the others began hissing various goodbyes to it. Ginny held out her hand to it, hearing Fred and George take sharp breaths. It wound itself around Ginny's wrist, sinking its fangs into her forearm. Ginny hissed between her teeth in pain, but remained still. "Why?" she asked the little serpent.

"Bond tighter," the serpent replied. "To know what the missstress thinksss."

Ron stared in horror at the serpent when it bit Ginny, but Percy was trying to help Bill and his father at the same time. Molly was watching, face both pale and red.

"Is your missstress here?" Ginny asked, confused.

"You are the missstress now," the serpent told her, and Ginny was worried. "It isss a privilege," Icythan hissed. "To be bonded to the bitematesss."

"What about your missstress before?" Ginny asked, but the older serpent interrupted.

"You mussst shut the passage and leave," he hissed. "There isss no time. The doorsss will clossse and keep you in if you do not go now. Go! We will ssstay until you come again."

The serpents slithered back into the darkness, but Icythan stayed dutifully on her wrist, mourning the fact that he was leaving his bitemates. Ginny hissed the doors closed and hurried down the steps to her father, who was leaning on Fred and George in order to stand.

"Are you all right?" she asked him after accidentally speaking in Parseltongue several times. "Bill, are you okay?"

"Yes," he breathed, letting go of Percy's shoulder and standing on his own. "Now. It'll be—"

"Mussst go now!" hissed Icythan insistently. "Bitemate saysss. Mussst not be locked in. We go now!"

Ron glared at the serpent. "Ginny, what are you doing with that—"

Ginny shut him up. "Ron, there's no time. We have to get out of here now. Move, all of you. Back the way we came. Run, those who can. Dad, Bill, hurry. I don't know how to..." she hissed to Icythan a minute, then did a spell on them, healing them most of the way. "Run!" she said, grabbing Bill's hand and apologizing to Icythan for jostling him.

He hissed happily, enjoying the ride. As soon as Ginny crossed the threshold of the tomb, a stone slab closed it off, an arch like the previous one forming. Her family turned to stare at her. "How did you know it would lock us in?" George wheezed, trying to catch his breath.

"Icythan said it would," Ginny told her brother, and the twins just looked awkwardly at each other, the serpent on Ginny's wrist finding their confusion quite amusing.

Bill sighed, wrapping his arm around Ginny, not worried about the serpent. "Let's all go to my flat," he said. "Then we can get everything straightened out."

Molly did not say a word, walking beside her husband and following her children. She was terrified that it was not actually Ginny who was walking hand-in-hand with her son. They entered the flat and all sat in the living room, Fred and George hurriedly putting their things away.

"Ginny," Arthur began softly, "tell us why everything happened, as much as you know."

Ginny looked around at her parents and brothers, then sniffled a little, struggling desperately not to cry. How she hated when she got like this! "I—I was—bored," Ginny began, "so I went off by myself. The door attracted me: somehow I knew it was a door. I could feel the magic, and I—I knew it was a Parselmouth Ward. It was like the one on the Chamber of Secrets. I only realized the words when Ron was saying the words aloud. They may not mean anything to you, but they do to me."

"I thought you couldn't speak Parseltongue," Percy said with a frown. "I thought that Riddle had spoken through you to open the Chamber."

"That was his Parseltongue," Ginny replied, "but I remember a lot of the words he spoke to the basilisk. It is possible to learn Syllablized Parseltongue, and I guess I did." She continued her story. "So I read the words off the wall, the wards released the curses, and dad and Bill got knocked backwards. I think they were too close to the door when I spoke the words, but I couldn't stop saying the spell, or..." Ginny's voice trailed off. "The spell to open the door warned about the curses, but I couldn't help that either. That's why I warded _Testudo_ as soon as I finished the spell. I just hoped it'd be enough."

Fred frowned at the serpent on Ginny's wrist. "What was the deal with him?"

"Yeah, why'd you bring him? You know you can't take him to school," George added.

"The serpents wanted to bite you all," Ginny told her family, "and they were going to kill. To protect their master and mistress's secrets, whatever they were. I think it was partially because you weren't happy with me, the 'speaker,' as they called me. I told them they couldn't, and asked where their leader was. That's when that other serpent came out of the doorway and I knelt down to speak to him. He said the serpent would stay with me to make sure I kept the mistress's secrets. That's why I kept him: I traded your lives for a serpent to wear on my wrist. Pretty good trade, I think."

Arthur's face turned pale. "Ginny, we could have avoided the serpents," he told her. "You didn't have to take that one with you. Can you take it back?"

Ginny frowned and hissed to the serpent a minute. "No," Ginny finally replied. "The serpent—his name is Icythan—said that many things would have to take place in order to return him to his bitemates—his littermates."

"Is there anything to be done?" Percy sighed finally, looking from Ginny to his mum and dad. "It's not hurting her, and perhaps she can keep it hidden..."

"No," Arthur sighed, "but, Ginny, I wish you would explain what's going on before you unleash serpents on your family."

"Sorry," Ginny whispered.

Molly frowned. "There is one thing," she said. "I promised you a brooming, and that's what you get."

Fred and George stared. "Mum, no!" they exclaimed. "She saved our lives by taking the serpent!"

"We wouldn't be worried about the sodding serpent if she hadn't opened the doorway after I told her to LEAVE IT ALONE!" thundered Molly, standing up. Arthur said not a word, Molly asking Bill, "May I borrow the extra bedroom for a few minutes?"

Bill glanced at Ginny apologetically, then nodded. "Borrow my broom if you want," he said softly. "It's in the closet." He motioned to the door across from them.

Molly walked across the room to the closet, removed the broom and motioned Ginny to go ahead of her into the bedroom. Ginny stood, upset, embarrassed, and angry. "Icythan," she hissed to her serpent, "I am going to be punished. Do not attack anyone."

"Quit that," Molly snapped at her, and Ginny entered the room, retorting, "I was telling him not to attack you!"

"Why?" hissed Icythan curiously. "You did not do anything wrong, or fail at a tasssk, or anything dessserving of punishment."

Ginny sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Mum isss angry that I opened the door. She doesss not underssstand me or serpentsss very well."

Icythan nodded wisely. "Dumb onesss do not speak, nor do they think," he said, making Ginny giggle.

"You're still talking to him," Molly said with a frown. "Why do you persist, Ginevra?"

"He was talking to me, and I can't be rude!" Ginny replied truthfully.

Molly shook her head, then told Ginny to stand still. Ginny's heart was pounding, for she had never been broomed before. She was frightened, for she wasn't at all sure how much it would hurt, or if the tiny serpent on her wrist would listen to her. "Of course I will," hissed Icythan. "Icythan alwaysss lissstens to the missstress."

The sting of the broom through her robe made Ginny clench her fists and close her eyes, willing herself to silence. She would not make a sound: she would not say anything about her punishment. Her serpent hissed angrily when her mother applied the broom handle to Ginny's bare legs.

Ginny's eyes stung with tears; she was barely able to keep silent. _Tom_ , she sobbed in her mind, _what do I do? I've been stupid today; I know I have. Please, please help me. I don't want to cry in front of Mum, or Dad, or any of my brothers. It stings, Tom; it really does!_

 _Ginny?_ he asked in confusion, not having witnessed everything that had gone on that day. Realizing that Ginny was being punished, he searched her memory for what had happened. _Ginny Love,_ he began, _let me control your body until the_ —He felt her relinquish control of her body immediately.

He could feel her exhausted mind receding, and gently touched her with his magic, hoping to strengthen her. Molly felt the rush of magic through her daughter and stopped the punishment. "What are you doing?" Molly asked Ginny sharply.

"Um, protecting myself?" Tom replied in Ginny's voice. "Not that it helps any."

Molly frowned at her, noticing the way Ginny stood tall and proud, as if she hadn't a care in the world. The serpent hissed angrily, and Ginny grabbed it by the neck before it could bite her again, then let it go and hissed back at it, "My _tsez_ was being me for a few minutess. I'm ssstill here. I just need him to take care of me for a minute. Don't bite me while Mum isss here."

The serpent was put off, but hissed, "The _tsez_ hasss nice magic, very nice magic indeed. Good for the missstress, yesss."

Ginny was exhausted, Tom could feel it. He allowed her mind to rest while he listened to Molly's lecture on obedience. "Yes, Mum," he replied, nodding as he ran a hand across his forehead, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Glancing in the mirror, she mused, "I look terrible."

 _Tom!_ raged Ginny, _I_ _never __worry about how I look!_

 _Sorry_ , he replied. _I'm trying to distract her so I can get out of here._ Ginny sighed, not replying.

"Ginny, I expect you to act better," Molly said sternly. "Now, I won't make you stay with us at the inn, but I'm going to tell Bill to keep a close eye on you."

"Okay," Ginny replied, and in her [his] mind, Ginny cut him off before he could apologize for her behaviour.

"Now let's go out there," sighed Molly. "And try not to talk to your serpent so much."

Tom agreed, smiling at the little serpent. _Its eyes are closed_ , he noticed. _It must be quite young, then._

 _What kind of a serpent is it?_ Ginny asked him. _I didn't dare ask it in front of all those other serpents._

Tom asked Icythan, and the tiny serpent replied, "I'm a basilisssk, sssmall enough that my eyesss are not open yet." Tom nearly dropped the serpent off of his wrist in shock.

"Mrs. Weasley would be very upset if she knew what kind of a ssserpent you are," Tom informed him. "We've known one other basilisssk before: it died last year."

" _Sissshausss_?" the basilisk asked.

"No," Tom sighed. "It was murdered by sssomeone in order to sssave your missstress's life—and my life asss well, and to destroy _Sissshausss-a-sissshausss,_ the great _sheisss_."

Icythan was infuriated, hissing angrily as Tom walked out to the rest of the family, completely fixated on his serpent. "Why do they not like serpentsss?" he demanded.

"Because they're Gryffindors," Tom replied. "Ginny'sss different, though. She lovesss ssserpentsss, just like I do."

"Griffin _sheisss_ ," the serpent hissed, annoyed. "Should be _hisssusss_."

"Not griffin, Icythan," Tom tried to explain once more. "Gryffindor. It'sss got sssomething to do with the school Ginny attendsss."

The basilisk didn't reply, flicking his tongue out and tasting the skin of Ginny's wrist. "Ssstill the sssame," he hissed to himself. "Tassste isss not different, but the magic isss different."

Bill stepped over to his mother, speaking with her quietly. Ginny sat down by Percy and he put his arm around her, being careful not to disturb the snake. _Ginny?_ Tom asked in a strangled voice, _this is very awkward. Can you take your body back now? Ginny?_

To Tom's dismay, Ginny was asleep in her mind, completely at rest in knowing that Tom would take care of her. Tom awkwardly allowed Ginny to put her arm behind Percy's back, leaning against him and closing her eyes, ready to sleep.

"I'm sorry about everything," Percy murmured to her. "If I had known what was going on, I might have been able to help."

"It's all right," Tom answered in Ginny's sleepy voice. "There wasn't anything that could be done, I think."

After a few minutes, Tom pretended that Ginny was asleep, leaning completely against her brother. "Bill," Percy said, "can you carry Ginny to her room?"

Bill shrugged. "Is she that heavy? She was always a small girl and can't have changed that much."

Percy frowned, gathered himself and Ginny, then stood, carrying her toward the bedroom. Tom nearly put a grin on Ginny's face, but stopped himself just in time. He found it quite awkward to be carried to bed by one of Ginny's brothers. Percy set Ginny down in her bed, transfiguring her robe into a nightgown after glancing around to make sure no one was watching. He tucked her in gently, putting her hand above the blanket so that it wouldn't disturb the serpent.

"I don't know if you can understand me," Percy began softly, "but I hope you're good to Ginny. Sometimes she needs a friend. She's had a lot of hard times recently, but perhaps we can make her life better." He turned to leave, then sighed. "I don't even know why I'm talking to a serpent. People are going to think I'm barmy."

 _You are_ , Tom thought pointedly, but knew that Ginny would have loved to have heard Percy's little speech to the serpent.

"He'sss a good brother," Icythan informed Tom happily. "He cares about his littermates."

"You understood him?" Tom asked in surprise.

"Yes," the basilisk replied, "I understand English, but cannot speak it."

Tom nodded in understanding, curling up under the blankets. "Percy really is nice. A bit awkward sometimes, but nice." He yawned and Icythan slithered beneath the blankets, coiling up by Ginny's chest. "Good night," Tom said to him before closing his eyes and going to sleep. "Be right here in the morning."

The serpent hissed softly, but said no words.


	4. Truth and Revelation

_Tom_? Ginny's voice woke him up some hours later, and he found himself in a strange bed in a strange house.

 _Ginny, I don't know where I've been,_ he teased her. _Please tell me it wasn't my cousin's doing_.

He could feel her disapproval. _Tom, that's not even funny,_ she scolded him. _Did my punishment hurt you that much?_

 _Not really_ , he replied. _I didn't have any emotional stress at the time, only pain reception. And I can deal with that. You were there through the entire ordeal with the serpents and everything. I was glad to come help you. Say, do you think I can come to your room there? Is it warded so no one can come in?_

 _Yes,_ Ginny replied. _When the door was shut, the wards went up. Come on. But you'll have to give me my body back._

Tom shrugged Ginny's shoulders. _Okay, but you might be a little sore. I checked for bruises but there are none. Mrs. Weasley has practised that on Fred and George way too much, I guess._ He left Ginny's mind as she began to laugh.

He appeared in the room a moment later, grinning at her as she made faces at the feeling in her legs. "Wow," she said. "That's a tiny bit sore, I guess."

"Ginny Love," he laughed, "you're priceless."

"Thanks, Tom," she answered, snuggling under her blanket and accidentally disturbing Icythan, who woke up and hissed his displeasure. Ginny apologized, but the basilisk was now awake and noticed Tom.

" _Hisssusss_!" exclaimed the basilisk, moving toward Tom across the bed.

Tom frowned at the tiny serpent. "I am not your _hisssusss_ ," he replied coolly. "I am the one whossse magic wasss in Ginny lassst night."

The serpent watched Tom carefully as he came closer and sat down on the bed beside Ginny. "Good magic," Icythan said after tasting Tom's proffered wrist to make sure it was him. "Good for missstress."

Tom lay down next to Ginny, who was propped up on her pillow, watching Icythan and Tom speak. She snuggled up to him and he placed his arm around her, grinning at her. "I'll be glad when we're back at the Burrow," Tom sighed. "It's almost home there, even for me."

Ginny squeezed Tom with the arm she had around him, and he squeezed her back. Icythan hissed excitedly and slithered between them, hissing something about sharing magic. Tom hissed at the serpent to hush and Ginny asked, "What is he talking about?"

"Something that eleven year old girls need know nothing about," Tom replied, his face turning a slight red colour. "Sharing magic is usually done between couples."

"Oh." Ginny's face turned red and she pulled away from Tom, rolling over and hiding her face in the blankets.

"Missstress is shy," Icythan questioned Ginny and informed Tom. Ginny blushed a deeper red, commanding the basilisk to be quiet. The serpent appeared to be hurt, but hushed, and Tom allowed it to settle around his wrist.

Tom smiled, and Ginny turned back to him. "Tom? Icythan? Do you know how I can possibly keep you a secret at school?" she asked about the serpent.

Icythan moved uneasily. "Why do I have to be a secret?"

Ginny sighed and explained to him that her nest at school was a _sheisss's_ nest and that the people did not like serpents. "It'll be easier if they don't know about you," Ginny added. "But you can be known over in Ssslytherin. Their sssymbol is a ssserpent, and they'll appreciate you greatly."

The serpent was content, slithering back to Ginny and coiling itself around her wrist. "Missstress is good," he hissed proudly. "Massster is good asss well. Massster and missstress mussst have good nessst. Lotsss of bitematesss."

Ginny's face turned red again, and she hid her face in Tom's robe and the blankets. He laughed softly, slipping his arm around her. "It's fate, Gin," he teased. "You're stuck with me."

"Mum would do more than broom me if that happens," Ginny warned him half-seriously. "She'd probably..."

"Curse you into next week," Tom supplied.

"Yes!" Ginny answered with a sigh. "She'll never understand."

A knock sounded on the door, and a whispered, "Gin, are you awake? Ginny?"

Tom frowned at the interruption, then hugged Ginny tightly. "I'll come sssee you later," he said quietly. Placing a kiss on her forehead, he released her and was gone.

" _Tsez_ gone!" complained the basilisk. "Must ssstay for—"

"Please, Icythan, we are not matesss," Ginny hissed, blushing furiously. "Come in!" Ginny called to the person outside her door, lifting her hands and dropping the wards for a moment.

Bill slowly opened the door and walked in carefully, glancing around. "Are you all right after your adventure yesterday?" he asked her awkwardly.

"Yes," replied Ginny, smiling at her serpent, who was muttering something about wanting _Hisssusss_. "I'm fine. A little tired after everything, but all right. Thanks for helping me."

Her brother shrugged and sat down on the bed. "I didn't do anything," he sighed, "except lend Mum my broom."

Ginny winced and Bill grinned apologetically. "You kept everyone away from me while I tried to figure out the door," Ginny told him. "I was glad of that, but I didn't mean for you to get hit when the door opened. And I didn't mean to make you sick. Are you all right?"

"Yes," he replied. "After you shut the passage, it helped Dad and me recover. Then you did that spell on us—what did you do?"

"I don't know," Ginny said ashamedly. "Icythan told me that the old serpent said it would help you, so I did it."

Bill shook his head. "Gin, you have to be more careful!" he said. "What if it had hurt us? The world is not black and white all the time."

"I know," Ginny sighed impatiently. "I'll be more careful now."

They were both silent for a little while before Bill asked, "Are you going to return to that room and look around in it?"

Ginny gave her brother a sharp look. "Mum would kill me," she said, and the serpent raised his head.

"The _hisssusss_ will not hurt the missstress!" Icythan insisted. "Protect missstress, yesss, we will."

Stroking the serpent's beautiful scales, Ginny told Bill, "I would love to know more about what is there, but I don't know how to make it safe for whoever might take me."

Tom entered Ginny's mind, making Icythan hiss happily and Ginny blush furiously. _Ginny, you need to be very careful,_ Tom warned her. _You want to stay back in the shadows now that you've disrupted your family's vacation._

 _Thanks,_ Ginny said sarcastically. _I appreciate that, Tom._

"Missstress wishes to know her sssecret that she isss keeping," Icythan said with a sound that might have been a laugh. "Missstress must ask Tabashi, the father of all the bitemates."

"I need to speak to the older serpent," Ginny replied softly. "It's the only way I will understand what is behind that door and whether it can be opened: I can take down the Parselmouth Ward as long as the room will be safe for people to explore."

Bill nodded, a small grin on his face. "We can go late tonight, and perhaps Fred and George can come with us?" he asked.

Ginny smiled and threw her arms around her brother. "Thank you," she whispered. "But maybe we could leave Fred and George here, or something. I think that we need to get in and get out quickly, without much noise."

"Okay," Bill agreed, "but what if they hear us?"

"They won't," Ginny told him. "I'll put wards up, or a Sleeping Web on them. They won't stir."

He shook his head at her. "Ginny, you've learned way too many sneaky things already," he informed her. "You need to be good."

She grinned saucily up at him and replied, "I always am. I'm the most well-behaved child in the family."

Bill snorted and shook his head. "Get ready to go, Gin. We'll be leaving to meet the rest of the family soon, so if you want breakfast, come to the table." He stood and left the room.

Crawling out of bed, Ginny stumbled over to the dresser and pulled out a robe to put on for the day. Her serpent slithered onto the dresser as Ginny changed robes, hissing, "Hungry! Want _hisssusss_!"

"Hold on," Ginny said with a sigh. "I'm getting ready to out and some to eat for us. I'm hungry too." She yanked her robe down over her head, tied back her hair, and stepped into her shoes. Holding out her wrist for the serpent to slither onto, Ginny tucked it under her sleeve and headed out to the table.

She stopped when she found four redheads at the table, one turning to her with a mischievous grin on his face. "Hi, Ginny," he greeted her with a wink.

"Charlie!" she squealed, forgetting to warn Icythan as she dashed across the room and threw herself into her brother's arms. "I can't believe you're here! I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Yes, well, I've been quite busy," Charlie answered with a grin, holding Ginny at arm's length and inspecting her. "I heard that you got yourself into a bit of trouble yesterday."

Ginny sighed, her shoulders slumping. Icythan hissed, "Missstress mussst not be dissscouraged. The _hisssusss_ shall not dissstress missstress."

She looked up at Charlie and said, "Will you promise not to freak out if I show you something?"

"Now, Ginny," he told her, popping a piece of fried egg in his mouth, "I work with dragons. What could possibly make me freak out?"

"Ginny could," the twins said together, making Charlie shrug at them.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny pushed up her sleeve, revealing the tiny basilisk to her brother. He sucked in his breath sharply, and the twins simply raised their eyebrows at him before turning back to their breakfast. "Wow," Charlie finally breathed. "I never even thought that you might get a serpent during the summer."

Bill turned to Ginny and explained, "I thought you'd want to tell him yourself, so I told Fred and George to keep quiet about your serpent."

Ginny looked at Charlie worriedly. "I took one of the bitemates so that the rest of them would let mum, dad, and the boys live," she told him softly. "I'm trying to find a way to solve everything, but it's really complicated."

"How did you know that they would leave the others alone?" Charlie asked her with a frown.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Oh, honestly, Charlie," he said, "how does anyone know what a serpent says? They have to speak and listen, speak and listen."

"But Ginny..." his voice trailed off. "You're not...a Parselmouth, are you, Ginny?" he asked in a very quiet voice.

" _Hisssusss_!" proclaimed Icythan, striking at Charlie.

"No!" Ginny shrieked in Parseltongue, jumping back from the table. "He'sss a littermate who has left our nessst! He is not _hisssusss_!"

Charlie took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "So you are," he said, sounding impressed. "Marvelous."

Ginny picked up a piece of egg off of the plate and set it on the bench, allowing her serpent to slither off of her wrist as she transfigured the egg into a live mouse. Icythan hissed, "Kill, devour, _sissshausss_!" and struck at the mouse, biting it easily and devouring it quickly.

"Ginny, that's horrible," George said.

"You'd think she wouldn't be able to watch the serpent eat the mouse," Fred sighed. "Charlie, our baby sister's changed."

"I used to sit in the Chamber and watch Tom's basilisk feed," Ginny replied, looking directly at the twins. "Not much about serpents frightens me anymore. I've pretty much seen it all."

Bill frowned. "You don't consider those memories bad?" he questioned.

Ginny shook her head, grinning as Icythan hissed that he wanted another mouse. She gave him another mouse, smiling as he chased it down. "No," Ginny finally replied to Bill. "The basilisk was always friendly to me, and Tom and I talked to him because all of us were equal."

"Equal?" George snapped. "To the Dark Lord?"

" _Sissshausss-a-sissshausss_?" hissed the serpent excitedly. "Missstress did not sssay that the _tsez_ was _Sissshausss-a-sissshausss_."

"He isss not," Ginny replied, trying not to be angry with her basilisk. "They are wrong." She looked away from the serpent. "Equal as Parselmouths," she added to her brothers, annoyed with herself for forgetting that they did not know that Tom wasn't Voldemort.

Icythan hissed softly in disappointment. "My first massster and missstress ssserved _Sissshausss-a-sissshausss_ ," he informed Ginny. "They kept usss for hisss use."

Ginny nodded to her serpent, then asked him, "Do you want to greet any of my brothers that are here? To meet them, I mean?"

"Will they sssquirm?" Icythan asked, and Ginny giggled, hissing that she wasn't sure. "Yesss," he replied.

She turned to her brothers and asked, "Do any of you want to hold Icythan? He'd like to meet you. He won't bite."

Icythan looked first at his mistress, then at the four boys. Charlie finally nodded and held out his hand in a wordless invitation. The serpent slithered over to him, tasting his hand tentatively. "Not _hisssusss_ ," he hissed to himself. " _Tsez_ of magical creaturesss." Icythan slithered up the boy's arm, settling around his neck. "Ssspecial littermate," he said, satisfied. "Not a ssspeaker, but ssspecial anyway."

"What is he saying?" Charlie asked, turning slightly as he tried to look at Ginny without disturbing the serpent.

"He said that you're special," Ginny replied with a slight smile. "He said that you aren't serpent-food and called you a friend to the magical creatures."

Fred and George glanced at each other again, finishing their breakfast. "How would he know that?" asked George cautiously.

"Magic," hissed the tiny basilisk. "Hisss magic hasss a tassste of animal in it. He hasss been around much animal magic."

Ginny repeated what the basilisk had said and Charlie grinned. "I've had quite a few dragons nearly burn me to a crisp," he told the other boys and Ginny. "I did get a burn a while back that didn't heal properly because all the dragon magic wasn't removed." Charlie shrugged slightly. "It doesn't hurt anymore and it looks all right."

Icythan hissed to Ginny and she translated, "Icythan says that he and all his nestmates know Bill because they live in the pyramids and tombs and have seen him and his friends at work."

"And what about us?" Fred and George asked curiously.

"Sometimesss _tsez,_ sometimesss _sheisss_ ," answered Icythan truthfully. "Missstress mussst be careful around the onesss with the double magic."

Ginny laughed. "He's warning me about you," she told them. "He calls you 'the ones with the double magic,' and says that you're sometimes a friend and sometimes a predator."

Icythan slithered down Charlie's arm, going back to his place on Ginny's wrist. "The onesss with the double magic are mostly _tsez,_ though," he added in case his mistress was upset with her littermates being called enemies.

Fred grinned. "Wicked!" he said, and winked at his twin. "We're planning a surprise for the Charleston girls, you know."

"Of course I know," Ginny replied. "How could I not know, after what they did? Of course you're going to prank them."

"Who are these others?" Icythan wondered.

"My cousins," Ginny told him. "Non-speakers, but my littermates from my great-grandfather's brother's grandson."

Icythan pondered that and hissed, "I understand, missstress."

Ginny smiled, transfigured a piece of egg into a mouse once more for her serpent. Icythan chased it down, and Bill said, "I suppose we should go now. Mum wanted to get an earlier start today so we could finish early. She still wants to see the last three or four tombs." He sighed and rolled his eyes.

Charlie nodded and stood, summoning his cloak from the hook. He winked at Ginny and picked up the serpent. "Can I carry him today?" he asked Ginny as a little boy would.

Biting her lip, Ginny replied, "I would let you, but I don't want Mum angry with you—or me, and when you see them, some of them are sure to hug you like I did, and it'll probably disturb him...it's probably better if I take him."

"Okay," Charlie relented, handing over the serpent without question. "Oh well."

Ginny grinned apologetically and followed Bill out the door, the twins coming after. They gathered around their oldest brother, all joining hands and disapparating. They appeared at the inn when Arthur, Molly, Percy, and Ron were gathered in the cafeteria eating breakfast.

"Still got that thing?" Ron asked Ginny as soon as she walked into the room. She frowned at him and nodded. "Drat. I was hoping you'd accidentally killed it during the night or something."

Infuriated, Ginny lifted her hand to slap her brother—and used it to keep her serpent from striking him. "Weasel," she hissed, "stop irritating my serpent! You're asking for trouble!"

"Ginny," Charlie said awkwardly, "you can't call him that because you're a Weasel yourself."

"No, I'm not," Ginny snapped. "Weasels kill serpents, and I don't do that." She turned around and walked away.

"Gin, where are you going?" called Percy, rising from his chair and stuffing his last bite of muffin in his mouth.

Ginny looked her over shoulder. "To wait outside so I don't hurt him." Then she stepped outside the door.

Charlie and Percy raced for the door as one, Fred commenting on how fast Percy could move for a girl. He was ignored, however, and George said, "Hey, Ron, looks like you have another muffin left over." Picking it up, Fred and George divided it and stuck it in their mouths before Ron could protest. "Pretty good," Fred said. "But not as good as your cooking, Mum."

"Oh, go on!" Molly said, waving her hand at them. "How was Ginny last night?"

 _Despondent_ immediately came to Fred's mind, but he replied, "She was all right. She explained a lot about the connection between her and the serpent, and she translated what he was saying for us. Did the same thing this morning too."

"She hugtackled Charlie and then showed him the serpent," George added. "Charlie thought it was cool. I guess having a Parselmouth as your baby sister doesn't faze him at all. He wanted to wear it today, but Ginny wouldn't let him."

Molly was scandalized, but nodded. "She can keep that thing to herself," she said opinionatedly.

"She did," Fred and George said together proudly. They weren't about to tell their mother that Ginny would have let him if they hadn't been going to see the rest of their family that day.

Bill motioned to the younger boys and his parents to come along. "When you're ready," he told them, walking out to Ginny, Charlie, and Percy. "They're supposed to come out whenever they're ready," he announced, finding them Ginny and Charlie sitting against the wall with Percy kneeling in front of her.

"Thanks," said Ginny, looking up at Bill. She looked back at Percy. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. Ron makes me furious, and I just want to curse him to kingdom come," she explained.

Tom laughed. _No, just to the middle of next week_ , he said.

Ginny was relieved that Tom was with her. _Tom, please stay with me through the whole day_ , she asked him. _I don't know how to deal with different things like you do, and I need your help._

 _I will_ , Tom promised, and Ginny turned her attention back to Percy, who was trying to scold her and not laugh at the same time.

"I know that sometimes he's not the nicest boy in the world," Percy was saying, "but you don't have to call him names."

"Yeah, you sounded like Malfoy," Fred said, he and George walking up to them.

Ginny, her arms wrapped around herself, looked up from her hands to her feet and began giggling uncontrollably. "Ginny, that wasn't supposed to be funny, I don't think," Charlie told her.

Shrugging, Ginny continued to giggle, leaning back against the wall of the building. The door of the hotel opened and the last three Weasleys came out. Ginny immediately stopped laughing and stood quickly, brushing the dirt from her robes.

Percy and Charlie stood, brushing off their robes, and Ginny winked at them. Charlie snickered, and Molly came over to him. "I didn't even get to tell you hi before you ran off," she complained, giving him a hug.

A knowing smile crept across Bill's face, and George said, "See, Charlie, Ginny was right."

"Ginny's always right," Charlie said, pretending to disapprove of Fred and George's doubt. "Unless she's wrong, of course." He grinned and winked at Ginny over his mum's shoulder.

Fred, George, Bill, and Ginny grinned at each other. When Molly finally let go of Charlie, the family set off toward the tombs again. Ginny stayed in the background this time, now and again hissing to her serpent as he made different comments about what they were seeing.

While they were leaving the second tomb, Fred and George hurried out, turning to shut the door, which was a normal door which had been installed in the pyramid. Ron hollered, "Fred! George! Don't you dare!"

Molly turned quickly and snapped, "Fred! George! Let him out this instant! Don't shut your brother in a pyramid!"

The twins jumped in surprise and Ron barged out of the tomb, fists flying. Ginny grinned to herself and turned away, walking away from her other brothers. Bill smiled at Ginny. "I think you'll like the next one," he told her. "There are strange-looking skeletons in it because of the curses that had been on it in case of Muggle intruders."

" _Hisssusss_!" Icythan exclaimed, sticking his head out of Ginny's sleeve. " _Sissshausss_ them! Make them part of our power."

"They're already dead," Ginny replied to her serpent, and asked Bill, "How strange-looking?"

Bill grinned. "Two heads," he answered, eyes twinkling. "Leg bones grown to look like wishbones."

Ginny stared at him, then nodded. "Okay."

"Ginny," Molly said, "I don't want you going into this one."

"What?" Ginny asked, not sure she'd heard Molly right.

"I don't want you having nightmares about mutant skeletons, and so I don't want you going into this last pyramid with us," Molly ordered.

Ginny looked up at Bill, and he shook his head. "Sorry, Gin," he said. "I'm not getting involved."

Charlie walked on Ginny's other side as Fred and George headed into the tomb. Ron smirked at Ginny before hurrying after the twins. Ginny clenched her fists and scowled, but couldn't do anything. "I'll stay with you," Charlie told Ginny, "so you won't have to be by yourself."

She looked up at him and frowned. "I don't mind being alone," she replied, "and you don't need to stay." She lowered her voice and told him, "I don't want Mum thinking that I need someone with me. Go on with everyone else." Ginny gave him a little push and stood back.

He nodded approvingly, then turned and hurried after his family. Ginny waited with Icythan, discussing with him what was to be done with the other serpents and the room they were in. They came to several good conclusions, Tom interjecting his own ideas as Ginny and Icythan discussed what to do.

When her family came out of the tomb, Ron immediately spotted Ginny and exclaimed, "Oh, Ginny, you wouldn't believe what we saw! The ones who got into the tombs were so stupid! They have two heads, and like, three arms, and—"

"Shut up, Ron," George said, elbowing him with a frown.

Ginny just looked at her next older brother, then turned, taking Bill's hand and walking off with him. They went to a restaurant to get lunch, sitting down at a table. The boys were talking and laughing with their father as their mother tried to get them to be quiet in the restaurant. It didn't work.

Fred and George said not a word for a few minutes, but Ginny spotted one of them slipping something into Bill's soup. She didn't say anything, but Icythan said disapprovingly, "I warned you that they were _sheisss_."

"It isss a joke," Ginny hissed to him. "They mean it to be fun, not to hurt him. They are not out to hurt."

Icythan poked his head out of Ginny's sleeve and hissed, "What will the older one whose nessst we're ssstaying at sssay when he findsss out?"

Ginny bit her lip and pushed the serpent back under her sleeve. "Please ssstay hidden," Ginny asked of him. "Bill will probably be surprised, but he'll laugh and be okay."

Icythan hissed in annoyance and stayed under Ginny's sleeve. At that moment, Bill found the spider that Fred and George had slipped into his soup and jumped in surprise. "Goodness," he sighed, then laughed and tossed the spider to Ginny.

"I don't want it," she said, picking it up and tossing it at Ron, who was looking on in horror. Ron shrieked and jumped out of the way, grabbing Fred and making him spill his soup all over George.

George yelled as the hot soup soaked straight through his robe. Charlie burst out laughing and Percy looked on disapprovingly. Bill raised an eyebrow at Ginny, who was grinning and watching Ron shake worriedly.

"Missstress threw the _hisssusss_ away," complained Icythan.

"You are not hungry," Ginny informed her serpent. "You ate this morning, and you don't need to eat again for a while."

"But I like to," Icythan retorted petulantly.

Arthur performed a Cleaning Charm on George, removing the hot soup from his robe. "Are you burnt?" he asked George with a frown.

George shrugged, seemed to think about it, then said, "Nope."

Arthur then nodded and sat back down. Ron was still shaking when he sat down once more and began to eat again. Charlie was still laughing, his head down on the table. Bill elbowed his brother in the side, but Charlie only snorted and continued laughing. Ginny shrugged at Bill and the two finished their food ahead of the rest.

Bill sat back and said, "There's one other place we can go today, but it'll be rather hard to do."

"Why is that?" Percy asked calmly.

"...it's in the Muggle World," Bill replied softly, almost in a whisper.

Ginny jerked back in her chair, horror on her face. "No!" hissed her serpent. "No Mugglesss! Filthy, nasssty thingsss."

"Hush," Ginny told Icythan, leaning forward to listen to her brother.

"It will be all right," Bill reassured his mother. "It's a family outing tradition thing that's going on right now. I go back and forth to the Muggle World all the time."

Ginny felt sick, and her serpent hissed, "Missstress! Missstress, do not worry about the _hisssusss_! You will be all right."

"I don't want to go," Ginny whispered under her breath.

Bill looked over at her and gave her a very meaningful frown. "We could transfigure our robes and go on over," he told the rest of the family. "I've seen many, many outfits and it wouldn't be hard at all."

Molly frowned worriedly, and Arthur looked quite excited. Fred and George looked at each other, then grinned and looked at Ron to see how he felt. Ron looked confused, and Ginny sighed in exasperation.

Charlie grinned. "Let's go," he said. "It should be fun! But, Dad, you have to promise not to stand around gawking at everything, and Mum, you can't scold us as loudly as you normally do."

Bill nodded. "We can go back to my flat and get ready there, and then I can take you there," he informed them, standing up.

The others stood and followed him out, all catching hands and apparating to his flat. Ginny immediately sat down cross-legged in front of the fireplace and watched Bill and Arthur began to transfigure robes. Ginny shook her head as Fred and George paraded around in blue jeans and T-shirts. One shirt read, "Double," and the other read, "Trouble." The twins loved it.

Percy wore black jeans and a normal greyish-green shirt with no inscription. Ron wore green and blue jean, and Charlie transfigured his own clothes, coming out with khaki and camouflage. Molly took one look at him and protested, but Charlie shrugged and replied, "I'm not wearing blue jean out in public, Mum."

Ginny giggled, and Bill turned on her. "What shall we have Ginny wear?" he mused teasingly. "I know! Pink and purple!"

He raised his wand and Ginny snapped, "Do that, and I'll turn you black and blue!" She glared at him, her serpent hissing a challenge.

Bill shrugged, transfiguring her robe to a black shirt and black jeans. Molly frowned and said, "She is not allowed to wear all black." Bill looked at Ginny and shrugged.

Ginny touched her hand to her shirt, then leaned up to whisper in Bill's ear what she wanted. He stepped back, and in seconds, her now short-sleeve shirt had silver lettering that read, "I am definitely up to something."

Fred and George burst out laughing, high-fiving Ginny. Molly frowned at her daughter carefully, then shrugged, transfiguring her own robes into a simple skirt and blouse. "Dad," Charlie said with a grin, putting his arm around Ginny, who was quite happy with herself, "you should transfigure your robes, you know. You can't go looking like a wizard, or someone might recognize you."

Ron grinned. "Yeah, Dad. They might call the police."

"As if that would help," Ginny said with a snicker. "Wizarding Secrecy Protection whosit would have it in for you if you went over to the Muggle World like that."

"Ginny, that's not funny," Percy scolded her. "It's a very serious thing to keep our world secret—"

"Yeah," interrupted Ginny, "so we don't get overrun by those who don't believe in us."

Bill cut off the conversation. "We should go," he said pointedly, indicating that their dad was ready. He led everyone out of the flat once more, everyone catching hands and disapparating. They appeared before a quiet old building.

"We go into this building, go through it to the next, and exit that one into the Muggle World," Bill explained, leading the way into the building.

They quietly filed through it, Molly telling Ron, Ginny, and the twins, "You four had better behave or there will be problems when we get back to the hotel. Ginny, you especially. No funny business, and for goodness' sake keep your serpent hidden."

Ginny frowned, refusing to reply. She followed her brother without a word, untucking her shirt. "Ginny," Percy said with a frown, "tuck your shirt in."

"No," she replied firmly. "It looks wrong, and T-shirts are meant to be untucked."

They stepped out of the second building into the sunshine, and Icythan hissed uneasily, making Ron glare at Ginny. "I'm not doing it," she snapped at him, then hissed to Icythan, "Be sssilent. The _hisssusss_ mussst not know you are here." Icythan did not protest, and Ginny was relieved.

Bill led them down the street, telling them it was a little bit of a walk. He told them to stay on the sidewalk, and just then, a car roared past. Arthur turned around to stare at it, and Charlie nudged him forward, turning him back around. Ginny was thoroughly embarrassed and wanted to go home, but walked silently by her brother.

Soon enough, they were at the entrance to the fair or wherever Bill had said they were going. Ginny stared at everything that was there. She had never seen the lights, rides, or attractions at a place like that. Bill led them right up to the entrance, paid for them to enter, using Muggle money that he had, and led them into the park.

Something caught Fred and George's eye. "Look!" they said excitedly. "A bounce house! Come on, Ginny! We'll show you how to do it!" They raced toward it together, then man running it frowning at them.

"You're rather big for this," he told them, and they sighed.

"Come on, please?" Fred asked him. "Be our hero for today?"

The man shrugged and allowed the twins to take off their shoes and climb up onto the bounce house. "Come on, Gin!" hollered Fred triumphantly, soaring into the air. "It's fun!" He turned a flip and George bounced off balance, crashing into his twin and knocking them both to the mat.

Ginny looked at Charlie. "Would you keep Icythan for me?" she asked him, taking his hand in hers. Charlie tensed, feeling the serpent taste his wrist again, then nodded. "Thanks," Ginny told him as Icythan slithered off of her wrist. She hurried after the twins, slipping out of her shoes.

The twins untangled themselves and yanked Ginny up into the bounce house. "Jump," they told her. "It's springy." Fred bounced enthusiastically and George jumped quickly, throwing his twin high into the air. "Yiiiii!" hollered Fred, and George snickered.

Fred jumped a little more, and when George came down one time, Fred dead-jumped him. George howled, falling to the mat and grabbing his ankle. "It can't possibly hurt that bad," Ginny said to him, jumping behind him and bouncing him up again.

George grinned and jumped out of the bounce house, landing on the hard ground. "Ow," he commented. "It's always strange how hard the ground is after the springs mat."

"Of course," Fred and Ginny agreed, hopping out carefully. Ginny turned to the man. "Thanks," she said with a smile. He nodded to them as they picked up their shoes.

"Oooh, look," Ginny said, looking across the grassy path at something else that looked like a bounce house. Children were climbing up one side and sliding down the other happily. "I want to do that," Ginny stated firmly, and she headed for the giant slide, the twins grabbing Ron and making him come with them.

Climbing to the top, Ginny rounded the corner and looked down the slide. "It's not scary," said the teen girl who was running it. "Just go on."

Ginny scowled at her, then ran two steps and jumped off the top of the slide, making the girl gasp in horror. With a holler of triumph, Ginny soared out over the slide, falling down and bouncing off the middle of it, landing against the protecting wall and falling to the mat. Giggling madly, Ginny jumped off of the mat and ran over to her shoes, quickly putting them back on.

When she went back over to her family, Fred hollered, "Ginny, watch!"

Several people turned to see red-haired twins up on the tower slide. Catching hands, Fred and George raced for the edge, ignoring the teen girl who was half-fangirling over their red hair and half-commanding them not to run. The twins leaped off the top, turning a flip together and bouncing off the middle of the slide.

Their bounce knocked them both off balance, and they sailed through the air separately, heading for the wall. Ginny bit her lip. "They're going to go over the wall, I think," Ginny said, and Charlie grinned.

Fred and George landed astride the wall, clinging to it for dear life as it sank under their weight. They easily lowered themselves to the ground outside the stair-and-slide and took a bow together before they went to put their shoes back on.

"Goodness," breathed a woman near the other Weasleys, placing a hand over her heart. "I thought I was going to see someone die."

Ginny burst into giggles, and Arthur stopped Molly from speaking before she could make a scene. The woman looked over at them and asked, "Are those your boys?" Molly nodded, her lips pressed firmly together. "They're amazing," she said. "How many children do you have?"

"Six," Ginny replied just as the twins walked up.

"Ginny!" protested George with an impish grin, "Ron's part of the family too!"

Ginny snorted, watching Ron sit down and slide down without a motion or a yell. "We have seven, actually," Arthur interrupted Molly's deep breath to begin ranting at Ginny. "Six boys and then our daughter."

Ron walked over, trying to hop and tie his shoe. "Ron, you were boring," Fred told him.

The youngest Weasley boy scowled. "If Percy had gone, he would have done the same thing," Ron snapped.

"Would not," Ginny retorted, and Percy glanced at her. "Even he'd be more adventurous than you." Ron looked over at Percy and snorted. Ginny turned to Percy, grabbing his hands. "Come on, Percy," she said to him insistently. "Do it once with me."

Percy frowned at her, but she grabbed his shirt, pulling him down and whispering in his ear, "I'll teach you the hex that I used on you and Miskenet." He frowned deeper and shook his head, Ginny standing in front of him. She said easily, "The twins already know it." Percy's eyes grew wide, and he hurried along with Ginny toward the slide, refusing to hold her hand on the way there.

Ginny kicked her shoes off and bounded up the stairs. The teen girl frowned at her, and Percy hurried up behind her. "Now, Ginny," he said, grabbing her by the shoulder and turning her to him, "you won't be jumping off the top this time."

"What?" Ginny protested, and the teen girl smirked, winking at Percy behind Ginny's back.

" _We_ will," Percy replied, ignoring the girl and taking Ginny's hand. The two of them raced for the edge, leaving the girl gaping, open-mouthed. They yelled as they turned a flip, bouncing together and keeping their balance. They landed on their backsides on the mat and bounced to their feet.

They hopped off of the mat, Ginny grinning from ear to ear. "How was that?" Percy asked her as he put his shoes back on, his face serious.

"Perfect!" she crowed proudly, leading the way back toward her family. "I told you so, Ron!"

"Esther!" shouted the girl up on top, sounding slightly hysterical, "I can't do this! Can you come up here, please?"

Percy snorted and Ginny began giggling to herself. Ron was staring at Percy in shock, and the older boy looked directly into Ron's eyes, his expression growing into an ear-to-ear smirk. "Ha!" Percy said triumphantly before turning away.

"You're crazy," Ron told Percy, who whirled around to face his little brother.

"And you're insane," Percy retorted "—a case study for St. Mungo's."

Bill and Charlie glanced at each other, both clearly shocked at Percy's sudden attitude. Molly seemed to ignore the exchange, speaking to the Muggle woman, but Arthur gave Percy a wink and a careful look. Laughing at Ron, Fred and George looked at Percy with a new admiration, very pleased that Ginny had got him to go on the slide with her.

"A couple more rides, Mum," Bill told her, managing to get her away from the woman she was talking to. "The barrel ride will be able to get five or six at a time in it."

Charlie looked around. "Ginny, Bill, Fred, George, Percy, and I can all go together," he decided, seeing Ron glare at the rest of his family. "We'll be all right."

Bill led the family toward the ride, near the back of the park. Fred and George walked on either side of Percy and complimented him on his trick-sliding. Percy grinned and pointed up ahead, something he normally considered rude. "Look! The barrels spin around on those long arm-things, and the barrels themselves spin while spinning!"

"Yes, and the table inside them can spin as well," Bill replied. "Just wait til you get in them: it might make you very, very dizzy."

The Weasleys got into the line for the barrel ride, but the line wasn't that long and they were quickly at the front of the line, ready to board. Molly, Arthur, and Ron were to get into the first one, and the man running the ride said, "I can take three more in this barrel!"

Three teen girls stepped forward, one of them staring at Ron. "Hey," she said, reaching out and touching his hair, "is this, like, real, or did you, like, colour it?"

Ginny clenched her fists over the magic that had rushed to her hands and stomped over to the girl. "It's real," she snapped. "Now leave him alone." Ginny advanced on the girl, who quickly backed up and said to the next people in line, "You can go on if you want to."

Molly, Arthur, and Ron quickly walked into the barrel, sitting behind the round table inside. Three others joined them, and the barrels whirled around to another empty barrel. The six other Weasleys boarded it, and when it was closed and whirled away from the boarding spot, Charlie said, "Gin, I thought you were going to curse that girl!"

"I was, but then I remembered where I was," Ginny sighed. "It's so stupid here. We can't do anything to show our true selves. Do you have any idea how annoying I find that?"

"Yes," Percy replied, "but we're underage even to do magic in our world, Ginny."

Ginny scowled. "That makes no difference to me," she told her brothers. "I have no problem with that. We live in a Wizarding household, with no way for the Ministry to trace magic there, so why would I comply to a rule that I can't get caught breaking?"

Percy cracked a smile. "Ginny, you're wicked," he told her with a laugh. "I see your point, but the thing is, Mum wouldn't like it."

"Don't get caught," Charlie supplied as Ginny said the same thing.

"Honestly, Ginny," Fred said in amazement, "how much influence do the Charleston girls have on you?"

Ginny shrugged, looking at the table as the barrels revolved to let more people on. "It just makes sense to me," she said finally.

Bill, Charlie, and Percy all looked at each other awkwardly, and Bill said, "Fred, George, there's something that you should know before you head back to school."

"And that is..." they raised their eyebrows at him quizzically.

"Ginny was adopted," Bill told them.

They stared at him and burst out laughing. "Nice one, Bill," George said with a grin. "You had us there for a minute."

Ginny leaned forward and looked into first George's eyes and then Fred's eyes. "He still has you. I am not a Weasley, Fred, George. I was adopted when I was a little less than two years old," Ginny tried to explain to them.

The twins gave her superior smiles and said, "Make us believe you."

Ginny scowled in exasperation, drawing her wand and removing the charm that was on her hair. Her red hair turned black and fell in long strands to just below her waist. "That is my true hair colour," she told the twins. "And my real name is Estella Parkington."

Fred shook his head and George said, "I still don't believe you. You could have charmed your hair black."

"Just like Mum charmed it red in the first place?" Percy asked, his voice cold. The twins looked at him uncomfortably. "You two might not remember, but Ginny and Ron had a huge fight just before Ginny turned three. She hurt Ron very badly, and Mum was so angry that she took Ginny, left our house, and was gone for hours."

"Okay, fine," grumbled Fred. "What happened?"

"Mum wouldn't even tell Dad," Charlie answered with a sigh. "Dad had taken Ron to St. Mungo's and left Bill in charge, and the three of us were making trouble for him while Percy sat in the corner with a book. When Mum came back with Ginny, her hair was red, her eyes were a stationary brown, and she didn't remember anything about her past life. I have no doubt that Mum or someone Mum knew used Memory Charms on her."

Bill nodded very seriously. "Ron has a Memory Charm too, so he won't remember the fight and be upset about it," he added. "I don't know if you two will remember, but when Ginny was three, she had to learn to walk and talk all over again because she'd simply forgotten how to do it."

Charlie confirmed Bill's words, telling Ginny, "I shut Ron up several times because he made fun of your having to learn to walk again. He was nasty to you back then, but after you knocked him down a few times, he became nicer to you. You didn't curse him anymore."

"Curse him?" Ginny asked with a frown. "When I was three?"

"You came to us when you were two years old," Percy said with a straight face. "You had some of the nastiest curses to use on him, and only him, but when you came back after leaving with Mum, you didn't remember any of the curses you'd done, or even any magic you'd done. It was terrible."

"She also got along with everyone except Ron, which was a miracle that Dad was grateful for," Bill informed the twins. "She never yelled at Mum about her real mother anymore, and didn't ever speak about her father. Of course, she barely spoke about him in the first place."

"'Busy off serving the Dark Lord,'" Charlie said, glancing at Ginny, who was looking down at her hands. "That's what you always said about your father. And you were so proud of him."

Ginny looked up at each of her brothers in turn. "Both of them," she said. "Mum and Dad were highly-skilled duelists and very powerful Death Eaters." She smiled slowly. "They're still free," she whispered. "They escaped the Aurors: my Mum and Dad."

Fred and George glanced at Ginny awkwardly. "Have you seen them, then?" they asked.

Ginny shook her head. "They are in hiding, and I most likely will never see them," she replied with a sigh.

"What are their names again?" Percy asked Ginny. "I don't remember."

"Reginald and Meretta Parkington," she replied. "Mum was originally a Parkinson, though."

"Parkinson?" gasped Percy. "Like, Pansy Parkinson?"

Ginny nodded. "Her dad is my mum's brother, or my uncle. Oh, and the Charleston girls? They're my third cousins—and Megan Sage is my second cousin once removed or something like that."

Fred snapped his fingers. "Estella Parkington!" he exclaimed. "George, Hermione said—"

"—that Ginny told her that she'd taken Estella Parkington's form—"

"—so that she wouldn't be recognized by the people she attacked!" exclaimed the twins together. "But you told Hermione that Estella was a Slytherin girl whose parents were Death Eaters! Ginny, you're not—"

Ginny stopped them, holding her hand up. "Ginny is not a Slytherin, but Estella is, and is not ashamed of being herself," she answered. "I daresay you've seen more of Estella recently than you've seen of Ginny."

"There aren't two persons with you, right?" George asked awkwardly, and Ginny laughed, shaking her head. "Who does Icky—um, your serpent belong to?"

"There is one of me," Ginny told them softly, reaching across the table and taking their hands in hers. "I was taught to be good: we all were. Estella will do things differently, like keep serpents around her all the time. She can't stand being around stupid Muggles, or have them annoy her brothers."

Percy frowned. "Estella hasn't got brothers."

"She was raised with them, and will always call them her brothers," Ginny said, then stuck out her tongue. "I can't stand talking about myself in the third person. I feel like a house-elf."

Charlie snickered, and said, "So normally, Ginny has red hair and Estella has black hair, but when Ginny acts like a brat, it's Estella's fault?"

Ginny sighed. "Something like that. Except that I am Ginny to you, and Estella to Brianna, Samantha, Cherea, Megan, Guage, Riker, and any of the other Slytherins. Cherea's a Ravenclaw, but she's still good enough to refer to as a Slytherin."

"Do the Slytherins accept you?" asked George in astonishment.

"Only the Charleston girls' dorm mates," Ginny replied. "The rest do not know me."

Fred frowned. "Did you befriend them in class?"

Ginny shrugged. "Not really. We had a few conversations, and I went to their dorm room one night for fun, but that was it. And I'm only allowed to go down there as Estella, or with black hair." Snatching up her wand, she charmed her hair red again and put her wand away as the door opened, letting them out of the barrel.

"Ginny," squeaked Fred, "what if—"

"I won't be," Ginny replied, joining up with Ron and their parents. "That's not something I do." She stood next to Bill as he spoke to Arthur and Molly and looked over at Ron. His face was pale, and he didn't look well. "You got sick, didn't you, Ron?" she asked teasingly. He looked over at her and miserably shook his head no. "I know you wouldn't admit it, but I know you did," she told him, receiving a glare.

"Mum!" moaned Ron, making Molly turn and look at him.

"Ginevra, leave him alone!" she snapped at her daughter.

Ginny took Bill's hand in hers and hid her face in his sleeve. He squeezed her hand and said, "I know that it's been quite a walk out here, so we're going to ride the lift back." He pointed up, and everyone looked up. Chairs, strung on a wire, were moving across the sky. People sat in the chairs, swinging their legs back and forth as they laughed and talked.

"Is it safe?" Molly asked, and Arthur said, "Molly, it's safe for them; it should be safe for us."

"Unless it's anti-Wizard and dumps us off," Fred said sarcastically, making Ginny snicker.

Bill nodded to his mother, leading the way to the line. The twins followed him excitedly, grinning at each other. Percy sighed, looking at the line. "Another long wait," he sighed.

"It's okay," Charlie told him. "It looks like we'll be sitting down up there for quite some time." Percy shrugged and didn't reply.

After several minutes, the Weasleys began to get on the lift two at a time. Fred and George went together, Arthur and Molly went together, and Ron scowled at the others and said he'd go with Charlie or by himself (he went with Charlie). Ginny went to get on with Bill, but Percy said, "I'm going with Ginny."

She looked up at him, but he took her hand and led her forward without another word. They sat down together as the bench came beneath them, leaving Bill to get on by himself. Percy pulled the bar down over him and Ginny, keeping them from falling out.

Once they were up in the air, he said to Ginny, "Do you really go down to the Slytherin dungeons as Estella and play with the girls down there?"

"Yes," Ginny answered with a sigh. "Percy, I enjoy being there. It's—it's different, of course, but I'm getting used to some of the strange things about by new friends. My dorm mates hate me, Percy, and I can't stay with them. They've already tried to hex me, and I won't stand that. I've tried to stop them, but they won't. They're the ones who sent that stupid Valentine to Harry."

"They are?" Percy said, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "That's pretty strange."

"They wanted to annoy me because of what I did to their House crests," Ginny laughed. "Then I hexed them both when I found out what they had done."

Percy nodded, then asked, "Ginny, what did the Sorting Hat say to you when you were sorted?"

Ginny bit her lip and looked away, recalling the danger that had been associated with telling her new House to Tom. "Um," she began, unsure how to put her words, "the Hat said that I was brave like the other Weasleys, and intelligent, but that my gift of Parseltongue should put me directly into Slytherin. He said, 'All your family is in Gryffindor—well, all your Weasley family, anyway.' He knew, Percy. He knew!" Ginny took a deep breath. "I wanted to be a Slytherin, but I was too afraid."

Percy nodded again. "I was fairly certain that it had offered you Slytherin," he sighed deeply. "I saw you look over to Slytherin toward your twin cousins, and I thought for sure that our little sister was going to Slytherin."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Ginny told him softly, and Percy shook his head.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you as well," he said, almost inaudibly. "The Hat offered me Slytherin as well."

Ginny stared at him, her eyes softening after a moment. "Oh, Percy," she breathed. "How did you not go there?"

Percy slipped his arm around Ginny and told her, "I begged the Hat to put me in Gryffindor. I wasn't funny or brave like Bill or Charlie, and I loved books much more than they did. And I also wanted to get somewhere in life—I still do. And so I convinced the Sorting Hat to put me in Gryffindor with my brothers. I did more begging than convincing, though."

Ginny put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "If you had gone there," she whispered to him, "I would have been right behind you."

"I know," he whispered back. "I should have been there for you. It was my biggest failure."

"Percy Weasley, you are not a failure," she told him sharply. "The Sorting Hat put me in Gryffindor because I was too frightened to go to Slytherin and be different from my brothers. Can you imagine that? The stupid Hat putting someone who is afraid to stand out in Gryffindor, the House of the brave?"

"The House of the stupid brave," Percy replied, grinning at Ginny. "I've always thought that most Gryffindors are way too impulsive—which is why Fred and George and I don't get along too well."

Ginny laughed and leaned against her brother, pulling her arm from behind him and putting her hand in his. "Thank you for telling me," she told him after a minute. He told her that she was welcome, squeezing her hand. Ginny closed her eyes, and was asleep before they got off the lift. Percy lifted her out of the way of the chair, carrying her out of the line after her family.

"Gin," he whispered, gently shaking her. "Wake up. We're headed home. The Muggles are marveling that you fell asleep on the lift. They think that you should have been scared to fall off."

A smirk spread across Ginny's half-asleep face, and she opened her eyes to grin at Percy. "Sorry," she said, masking a yawn. "I didn't know that I fell asleep." She stood up on her own, Percy helping her, and walked with him after their family. They headed back through the building toward the Wizarding World, and Ginny hissed, "Charlie! Could you transfigure my clothes back to my robe?"

Charlie nodded and came over to her quickly, transfiguring her clothes as they walked. "He's got your serpent too," Percy reminded her, and she grinned.

"I know. He's keeping Icythan until we get back to the flat," she told Percy. "Thanks for letting me sleep on you."

Percy shrugged. "You're welcome."

"He's getting used to girls hanging on him," Fred said, eyes a-twinkle as he looked at Percy.

They crossed back into their own world, Percy and Ginny both breathing a quiet sigh of relief. Suddenly, as they passed some pyramids on the way to the common apparition point, they were pounced on by reporters who were thrilled to find the Weasleys in time to get a picture for the _Daily Prophet_ back in Britain.

Percy frowned and looked over at Ginny, mouthing, "Oh, goodness."

Ginny snickered, and Ron grinned, nearly hopping up and down in his excitement to be in the paper. Fred and George grabbed him. "Stop," they told him, making him stand where he was told by one of the reporters. Ron pulled his rat (that Ginny had forgotten he had) out of his pocket and set it on his shoulder for the picture.

" _Hisssusss!_ " exclaimed Icythan, still hidden under Charlie's sleeve.

"Yesss," Ginny replied, careful not to draw attention to herself, "but it isss not yoursss."

Disappointed, the serpent hissed, "It'sss got magic anyway. Mussst not eat animalsss with magic like that."

Not knowing what the serpent was talking about, Ginny ignored it, smiling for the picture even though she wanted to scowl and throw something at the camera. Once they were done, Percy and Ginny left the group as fast as they could, Charlie and Bill hurrying after them. The other five members of their family escaped the reporters a few minutes later and caught up.

"Thanks for the wonderful time," Arthur told Bill. "I didn't realize that Muggles had all those interesting things!"

 _Oh yeah,_ thought Ginny. _They have brains, too. Well, perhaps you can go to a Muggle university and study Muggle psychology._

"You're welcome," Bill told them, saying goodbye. Ginny told Percy goodbye, catching Bill's hand to apparate back to his flat. Appearing at his door, Bill unlocked it and led everyone in. "I'm ordering in supper," he called after Ginny, who was heading toward her room. "I'll let you know when it's here."

"Thanks!" Ginny called back over her shoulder, touching the serpent that was back on her wrist.

"Missstress isss tired," Icythan said. "Missstress mussst ressst."

"After I eat," Ginny replied with a sigh. "I have to eat supper first." She went to a drawer of the dresser and pulled out her transfiguration book. Her class the year before hadn't gotten all the way through it, and she wanted to catch up on everything that was supposed to have been covered the year before.

Walking out to the living room, she sat down next to Fred and George, who began to tease her about becoming a bookworm. "Hush," she told them, softly punching one of them in the shoulder. "I'm trying to catch up on this. I don't want to fall behind if our class gets split into two because some of us are behind or ahead of the others."

The twins shook their heads. "Ginny, Ginny, Ginny—or should we say Estella, Estella, Estella?—you are already doing transfig that it takes seventh years to reverse. I think either your dorm mates are dreadfully behind or you are way ahead."

"Well, that's good, I suppose," Ginny said, "but I've never seen this done before." She pointed to the page in the book and the twins peered over her shoulder.

"Hedgehog to pincushion," George read. "That was fairly easy, compared to the matches to needles and back that we had to do."

"But this is considered more advanced!" insisted Ginny. "This is crazy! I've changed colours, textures, shapes, pattern, material—many things! This doesn't seem much more advanced than that!"

Fred shrugged. "Gin, we're not experts at Transfig. Ask someone else."

Charlie came over to them and sat down with all of them. "Did you learn that in class, or did you teach it to yourself?" he asked Ginny.

She looked at him very carefully, then said, "Tom taught it to me."

The four boys jerked in surprise and Bill asked disapprovingly, "Ginny, what all did he teach you?"

"Um, he taught me a lot of Transfig so that I could make the Chamber more comfortable for me," Ginny replied awkwardly, knowing that her brothers were worried that he had taught her Dark magic. "He always helped me when I couldn't figure something out. He taught me everything I know about serpents. Tom helped me get along with the Slytherins, and he's the reason I even have friends at school. The Slytherin girls were the only ones who I identified with."

"Do you think he did that on purpose?" Charlie asked.

Ginny shook her head. "It just happened," she explained. "The Gryffindors were nasty to me because I talked to Riker in class, and it kind of went from there. I was trying to keep the stupid girl from blowing up our potion: she was my Potions partner."

Bill nodded, then said, "Supper should be here any minute."

The others grinned and George said, "Good. I'm starving."

Ginny grinned, sitting back against the couch cushion and closing her eyes. "Gin, why are you so tired?" Fred asked her.

"I don't know," yawned Ginny. "I'm just tired. I wanted to eat and go directly to bed."

"Ginny, you never do that," George scolded her, and the other boys agreed.

"Yes, well, this time, I changed my mind," Ginny replied as there was a knock on the door.

Bill hopped up and answered the door, paying the deliverer and bringing the box into the dining room. The others followed him in, Charlie picking Ginny up and swinging her over his shoulder. Icythan protested, but Ginny told him that her brother used to do it to her all the time and it was not harmful. Charlie set her down in a chair and, at Bill's request, set the table.

"Fish and chips!" Fred and George crowed together. "Yes!" They pounced on the food, leaving the other three to hurry and get some before they finished it all.

Ginny ate quickly, her eyes threatening to shut. Charlie looked over at her and smiled. "Here, Ginny," he said softly, standing and coming over to her. She looked up at him with her sleep-glazed eyes and he picked her up in his arms, carrying her into her room and laying her on the bed. He transfigured her robe into a nightgown, then tucked her in. "Love you, sis," he told her, kissing her forehead.

"Love you too," she whispered sleepily. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, but she was already sleeping. Charlie left the room silently.


	5. Seeing and Suffering

_...She was striding purposefully down a flight of stairs, hurrying to reach the bottom. The meeting would begin soon, and she would not be late. She had not come to this mansion to be late to the Dark Lord's meeting, for she could not be suspected. Swiftly, she stepped into the dining room where the meeting was to be, but only one person was sitting in the chair._

 _"_ _My Lord," she said, inclining her head and waiting until he acknowledged her to speak again._

 _He looked over at her, then spoke with a hiss, "How can you sssay 'My Lord' when you have not become one of mine, Essstella? There isss much power to gain if you are allied with me."_

 _The dark-haired woman nervously began, "I—I am not—not sure—"_

 _"_ _You mussst be sssure," he hissed, standing very quickly and gliding toward her. Shudders came over her, for he reminded her of the dementors she'd recently seen. "It will make the magic ssstronger, my little Parselmouth. I want you to take your father's position and control my serpentsss for me."_

 _He lifted his hand and touched her smooth face with a long, white finger. "Isss that ssso much for you to do, Essstella?"_

My family, _the thought came unbidden to her mind._

 _"_ _Your family isss with usss," he hissed sharply, magic crackling through his fingers and stinging her face. "Your place isss with usss, not with the blood traitorsss. Join me, Essstella."_

 _Panic setting in, she nearly stepped back, but stopped herself. "I—I don't know," she stammered. Part of her wanted to prove herself by joining him immediately, but the other part of her wanted to leave the mansion she was in and never return._

 _"_ _You mussst know," he hissed angrily at her, grabbing her shoulder, a Curse crackling through his hand and down into her shoulder. Her screams pierced the air as she sank to her knees in pain. "Thisss isss the pain of displeasing me," he told her, keeping his hold on her as she screamed. "As one of mine, you would compliment your mother, your father, and your cousinsss—your magic isss compatible with theirsss, but you mussst consssent."_

 _Estella's screams echoed off the walls of the room for several moments until he let go of her and she crumpled to the floor, his voice also echoing in her head._ _"_ _Next time, you will come to me, willing and ready to become mine, Estella. You will consent to taking the Mark without a murmur. Then you will do what your father has failed to do: return from his mission and take care of my serpents. You must not fail, or I will be displeased, Estella. You will come back to me._ _"_

* * *

Ginny awoke to all four of her brothers standing around her bed in their pajamas. She screamed at the sight of them, making Bill cringe. "Ginny," said Charlie softly, "it's just your brothers."

She sobbed in terror and curled up under her blanket. Charlie sat down on the bed, picking her up and taking her onto his lap, keeping the blanket over her. "Was it another dream?" Fred asked her worriedly.

Her face turning pale, Ginny held back another scream and clung to her brother, trying not to hyperventilate. "It was," sighed George. "Can you talk about it, Ginny? Tell us what it was about?"

"No, no, no, no," sobbed Ginny, burying her face in Charlie's robe. Icythan slithered out of the sleeve of her robe, leaving her and coiling up on her pillow. "I can't go to Him! I can't!"

"Who, Ginny?" Bill asked. "To whom can't you go?"

"Him," Ginny whispered in terror. "I didn't see his face, but I know Him."

Fred frowned. "Are you talking about You-Know-Who?" he asked his sister.

A sob broke from Ginny and she gasped, "Yes! But he looked different. Older—more broken, like a badly-done _Reparo_."

"And what did He want?" Charlie asked her. Ginny's eyes grew wide and she cringed, trying to hide her face again, but Charlie held her away from himself. "Ginny, what did You-Know-Who want from you?" he asked again.

"To—to take the Mark," Ginny sobbed. "He said that Father didn't come home from his mission to take care of his serpents and told me that I was to take his place. I don't want to go to Him! I don't want to become a Death Eater!"

"Calm, Ginny," murmured Charlie, rocking her gently. "We can't help you if you're hysterical." She continued to cling to him as he said, "You're safe from harm, Gin. He can't harm you because he was destroyed."

Ginny shook her head vehemently. "He wasn't destroyed," she whispered, her eyes wide. "He was only reduced to a state lower than human. He called me Estella, and He spoke to me in Parseltongue! Charlie, He knows who I am!"

The twins came closer, both looking at her in pity. "Don't pity me," she snapped at them through her tears. "I was older in my dream, probably sixth year or older: I couldn't tell. He hurt me," she breathed, pulling the neck of her nightgown over to check her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Fred asked in confusion, but Charlie pulled Ginny's hand down, pushing her nightgown back into place.

"She was checking for broken, crushed, or melted bones," Charlie replied easily, making her look up at him. "Ginny, I grew up during a Wizarding War. I know this Curse, if it's the same one I'm thinking of."

"It was so real," she whimpered. "I thought my shoulder melted because it was so hot and hurt so much!"

"When did He hurt you?" Bill asked with a frown.

"When I couldn't decide whether to join Him or not," Ginny sobbed, hiding her face again. "He stopped the Curse and I fell down. He told me that, when I came back, I must be ready and willing to join Him, or He would be displeased. He told me that I _would_ return and take my father's place as the Serpent Keeper. And then I woke up. It was horrible!"

Ginny shook with sobs, clinging to Charlie. He raised his head and said to Bill, after a moment, "Go get Mum and Dad."

"No," Ginny protested, beginning to cry again after trying to keep calm. "No Mum." Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared off into space.

"How many of these dreams have you had, Gin?" Bill asked her softly.

She licked her lips and whispered, "Three. One in the Slytherin dungeons, one at the Burrow, and one here."

Bill hurried to get his cloak and Ginny began to sob again as he headed out the door. "Please, don't get them," she begged him. "Please, Bill." He gave her a sorrowful look before leaving and she sobbed harder, clinging to Charlie desperately.

* * *

When Arthur, Molly, and the other two boys arrived, Ginny was still sitting on Charlie's lap, crying. "Ginny," Arthur said worriedly, "why didn't you tell us that you were having nightmares? We want to help you!"

Ginny sobbed and turned away from him. Molly rushed over and said, "Ginny, we need to get you into a robe so that we can take you to St. Mungo's."

"No!" Ginny screamed, making Percy jump and Ron scowl. "No St. Mungo's!"

"It's going to be all right, Ginny," Arthur soothed her. "They'll help you."

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Ginny," Molly said, trying to hide her impatience. "I don't know why you're so afraid of the medi-wizards."

Ginny glared at her. "Liar!" she spat.

Molly frowned. "I do not care what kind of a dream you had, Ginevra," she began severely. "Do _not_ call me a liar." She came over to Ginny, prying the girl out of Charlie's arms and sending everyone out of the room as Ginny screamed. Molly forced Ginny to change her robe, and then began to take her out of the room.

"Mum, Mum, I need Icythan!" she said as Molly led her out of the room. "Mum!" Molly wouldn't listen, and Ginny put her hand out and cried desperately (P), " **Accio Icythan**!"

Icythan flew in from the other room, immediately coiling around Ginny's wrist. The boys stared and Percy gasped, "She did wandless magic!"

Molly glared at her. "You cannot take that thing with you!"

"I won't leave him!" Ginny shouted, shaking in terror. "I want at least one thing I can trust with me!"

Arthur came up to her and said, "All right, Ginny. But you need to tell him not to bite the medi-wizards."

Ginny sniffled a little, then snapped tearfully, "He can if they hurt me!"

"No, Ginny," Arthur said firmly, "listen. You can take him with you, but you can't let him bite them. St. Mungo's doesn't take kindly to having their healers injured or killed. You can't let him—Icythan—bite them." Ginny finally nodded, and her parents led her out the door, immediately disapparating with her.

Bill stared at the closed door, but Percy swore out loud and everyone turned to look at him in amazement. "She won't be the same when she returns," Percy spat. No one dared to say a word, never having seen Percy so angry. "They'll probably take away her serpent and make her believe that she didn't have one in the first place. They'll make her forget everything about—about who she is, and she'll become like a small child again."

"Well, that's good," Ron said stupidly, and everyone turned on him, telling him in no uncertain terms to shut up.

"She'll be docile," Percy groaned, hiding his face, "with no fight left in her. I'd rather have a Ginny-who's-ready-to-curse-me than a Ginny-who-can't-remember-half-her-life—and is nice and sweet!"

Fred and George agreed, and Bill and Charlie just stared at the door glumly. Having been through this once several years ago, they knew Percy was right and had nothing to add to his words.

* * *

Ginny was sitting curled up in a ball on one of the beds in her ward at St. Mungo's, waiting in fear for a medi-wizard to attend to them. Her parents stood beside the bed, but Ginny would not speak to them, instead staring at the door and waiting for her doom.

Moments later, the door opened and three healers came into the room. The one who seemed to be the leader told Molly and Arthur, "I need to speak to you outside."

Ginny's parents left the room as the other two healers came toward her. Ginny stared at them in fear, backing up on the bed and wrapping her arms around herself without saying a word.

"We need to prepare you for what we have to do," one of them said as they walked up to the bed. Ginny was silent and still, terror making her numb all over. They put her in a robe from St. Mungo's and braided her hair in a long braid. "Your hair is beautiful," said the other, and Ginny frowned at them both, knowing that it wasn't her real hair.

Suddenly, the door opened again and the lead healer came back in, followed by Ginny's parents. He gave a clipboard with some papers on it to the other healers and came up to Ginny with a steaming potion.

Ginny's eyes grew wide when he held out the potion to her and said, "Drink this." A gasp came from the two healers who were looking at the clipboard, and they glanced over at their third. He looked at them pointedly, then turned back to Ginny, still holding out the potion. "Take this and drink it."

Ginny scowled at him, shrinking back and shaking her head. Molly frowned and came up to the side of the bed again. "Ginevra," she said sharply, "drink it."

Frightened, Ginny looked up at her father and asked, "Daddy?"

Arthur came over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Go on," he told her softly. "We want to help you."

Ginny took the cup from the man, noticing that the three healers seemed to be holding their breath to see if she would drink it. "No," she said, looking up at her father with a sigh. "You only want me to be your perfect little girl—and I'm not. That's why I'm here. And I won't _ever_ be your perfect little girl." She lifted the cup to her lips and drank it without stopping.

The healer snatched the cup from her as her eyes closed and she fell loosely back onto her pillow. "There," he said in satisfaction. "Now we can work. It seems that she did much better with taking it this time. When was she here last?"

Molly looked at her very pale, sleeping daughter. "Nine years ago," she replied quietly. "Those Charms never came undone, but she's been steadily regaining all the problems she originally had. We also suspect that she's learned about her real parents and family."

"We will see what we can do," the lead healer told them as the other two took Ginny out of the room. "We will let you know when we are done so that you can be by her when she awakes."

"Thank you," Molly told them, but Arthur said not a word, following his wife out of the room.

* * *

Tom Riddle was bored. He had been waiting for Ginny to speak to him, but she seemed to have forgotten that he existed since she left on vacation. He couldn't blame her, of course, because he supposed being reunited with a brother or two that she hadn't seen in a while was a very important occasion.

He reached out to Ginny through the Channel, wanting to talk to her or see what she was up to. Suddenly, he felt nothing but raw terror. Glancing around himself in the Chamber, he understood that it must be Ginny that was so terrified of something.

Tom suddenly realized where Ginny was, and found that she was asleep. _Ginny!_ he cried out to her mind, _Why are you in St. Mungo's?_

He felt guilty that he hadn't kept a better watch over her until he heard (through Ginny's ears) one of the healers say, "She was brought in because of nightmares. Apparently she was dreaming about the Dark Lord. Her mother said that this girl was nearly killed by You-Know-Who at Hogwarts last year. It must be her memories that are causing these dreams."

Ginny's mind stirred, but did not awaken through the Somniferus Potion. _Tom_? she asked fearfully in her mind. _What is happening? I think the potion put me to sleep. But I'm asleep and still talking to you? How can that be?_

 _The potion won't let you wake up all the way, but your mind can still be aware,_ Tom told her. _The healers are probably going to remove some of your memories so that you act more like "a proper Weasley."_

"Well," said one healer to the other, "let's begin by looking at some of her memories to see how bad she is before we begin removing any."

 _No!_ Ginny panicked. _Tom, they can't!_

Tom reassured Ginny quietly as she was dragged into reliving one of the memories the healers were looking at.

 _..._ _Ginny sagged against the wall, staring at the end of Tom's wand hopelessly. "I can't betray them," she sobbed finally. "I'll die first."_

 _Voldemort sighed and said, "You are such a foolish girl. It must be the Gryffindor that seems to run in your family. I'll give you one more chance, Ginevra. Obey me."_

 _Her whole body shaking as she thought about the dark-haired boy killing her, Ginny managed to gasp between heart wrenching sobs, "I—won't."_

 _Ginny, still weeping with her eyes closed, suddenly heard the boy shout, "_ _ **Crucio**_ _!" and opened her eyes to see a red light streak toward her..._

"He used an Unforgiveable on her in her own home!" gasped one of the healers. "Poor child! Do you think we should remove that one?"

 _No!_ Ginny tried to shout at them, but she couldn't through the potion. _Tom,_ she sobbed, _I'm not going to remember anything about you. I love you, Tom._

"Wait!" commanded another healer as Tom replied to Ginny. "I think—there's someone else's memories here as well! I don't think these are hers...they can't be. The magical signature is different."

Tom left Ginny's mind, and she screamed, _Tom, why did you leave? What is happening? What do they see?_

"Gone," sighed the healer. "It was a memory of someone dueling a dark-haired boy. It definitely wasn't the girl, because of the powerful curses the person was throwing. Ginny doesn't know those curses: I checked her spell memory. Our Memory Charms have held back the curses she used to know."

"Oooh," gasped the same one a moment later. "The one who did the Unforgiveable on Ginny was also the one that the other person was dueling. The magical signatures are the same."

One of the other healers frowned. "Was Ginny working with this other person to stop the one who was torturing her?" she asked.

Ginny struggled in her unconscious state as one of them put his wand to her temple and searched through her memories for one that included Tom's magical signature. She wanted the healers to leave her alone: she felt sick and her head was beginning to pound mercilessly.

"Found one," the man said triumphantly. "Oh, wow. It's got to do with her knowing about her real family. Apparently this 'Tom' of hers showed her who she really is. Hmmm. He seemed to act as if it was a surprise to him as well."

They searched through more of her memories, making her sob inside her mind as she could not awaken. Ginny could feel her memories shaking as one of the medi-wizards tried to pull one of her memories from her. _No!_ Ginny screamed in her mind, fighting to hide her memories from them. "Lost it," said the medi-witch in disappointment. "Something stopped me."

"Occlumency Shields," said the man in amazement. "She's so young to have learned that—and she's asleep! She shouldn't be able to do that!"

"Then she can feel what we're doing," one of the witches said softly, stroking Ginny's hair back from her forehead. "She must be hurting, poor child. Feel the magic in her hands." Sparks dripped from Ginny's hands, her feeble attempt to protect herself.

"So what did her parents say to do again?" asked the other witch.

The man frowned at them. "You forgot? Someone might think _you_ ran into a Memory Charm. The woman said to make the girl forget anything in particular that she has learned about her parents. She should only remember that she is adopted, but not much about her other family and all. Then, the woman wanted this girl's memory of the wandless magic that she has done—wandless magic, mind you—removed from her. And also, she is to forget most of what happened during her first year."

"That's right," said the first witch. "Molly said for us to hide or remove any memory that might cause Ginny to have nightmares. She left those decisions up to us."

"All right," said the third healer with a sigh. "Poor child is going to be missing half her brains—most of her memories since last year relate to what happened then. We'll have to be careful with what we take out, or we'll send Mr. and Mrs. Weasley home with a vegetable as their child."

The medi-wizard selected her memory of the three _Crucio_ s Voldemort had done to her and began to try gently to unravel it from the memories around it.

Ginny screamed inside her mind, tears leaking out of her eyes. She moaned and writhed around on the table, escaping his grasp. "Hold her still!" he shouted. "I almost had it!" Ginny, trying to hold herself together, put up her Occlumency Shields again, desperately hoping it would be enough to deter the healers from pulling her memories out.

 _Tom!_ she screamed. _Please help me! I can't do this: it hurts too much! Tom, I don't want to lose myself! Oh, I don't want to forget my family, or you, or_ _—_

She stopped, forgetting what she was going to say as her Occlumency Wards collapsed. _Tom?_ she whimpered, hearing one of the medi-wizards say that they'd have to use Memory Charms since they couldn't pull her memories out. The medi-wizard said that he'd already put one in, and that it would be much easier for them and much less painful for Ginny.

"They'll come back," warned the first witch

"But she'll be older," the second replied, "and better equipped to deal with them—if they do come back. Let's do Memory Charms, then."

Ginny sobbed, ready at any moment to raise her Occlumency Wards again, but when the medi-wizard touched his wand to her head and began his work, there was no pain. She relaxed slightly, and allowed herself to drift off deeper into her unconscious state.

* * *

When Ginny opened her eyes, her mother was sitting by her side, holding her hand. Ginny smiled weakly. "Hi, Mum," she said, squeezing her mother's hand.

Molly smiled down at her daughter. "We were worried about you, Ginny," she said. "How do you feel?"

"Tired," Ginny admitted, "but my headache's gone."

"Missstress took the sssleeping drink," hissed the serpent by her side.

"Where did he come from?" Ginny asked her mother in alarm.

Molly squeezed her hand reassuringly. "He's your new pet that you got on vacation," she told Ginny. "His name is Icythan."

Icythan was sulking, and Ginny asked him, "What's wrong?"

He finally hissed, "Serpentsss are not petsss. We are bitematesss. And our leader sssent me with you to keep you from tell our other missstress's secretsss."

"Oh," said Ginny finally. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. What missstress?"

"The dark-haired missstress that did not ssspeak," Icythan replied impatiently. "Ssstupid onesss made new missstress forget everything the bitematesss told her."

"He's not a pet," Ginny told her mother softly. "He's a bitemate, like a familiar or something."

Molly nodded condescendingly, looking across Ginny at her husband. Arthur said nothing to her, taking Ginny's other hand in his. "We'll be taking you home today," he told her. "Actually, back to Bill's flat to finish our vacation."

"Oh," said Ginny thoughtfully. "Okay."

"Missstress mussst finish the task that she promisssed the bitematesss," Icythan told her firmly.

"What task?" Ginny hissed in confusion.

Icythan turned his un-opened eyes to Molly and Arthur, then hissed angrily, "To keep the secretsss of the missstress, taking them to the Chamber you told usss about."

Ginny was overwhelmed, not even sure what the serpent was talking about. She lay back on her pillows and closed her eyes tiredly. "When do we leave?" she asked her parents.

"As soon as the healers tell us we can and release you," Molly replied. "We're here to take you home."

"Good," Ginny sighed in relief. "Then I can rest."

"Yes," Molly told her. "You can rest as much as you want."

The lead healer came in a moment later, not looking at Ginny. "She did very well, although she probably felt everything we did. She was aware during the entire thing, but not awake. We don't know why the potion didn't put her completely out, but it worked," he told them. "Anyway, here are the papers for her release." He handed them to Molly.

"Mum," Ginny asked suddenly, "who is Estella Parkington?"

"That's the name your biological mother and father gave you," Molly replied without looking up from the papers.

"I was adopted?" Ginny asked, sounding very small.

Arthur lifted Ginny into his arms and hugged her close. "Yes, Ginny. But we love you just as much as we love every single one of your brothers."

Ginny looked into his eyes, then nodded very carefully. "Thanks."

The healer came over to her and she looked up at him, wondering what he wanted. "Would you like a lollipop, Ginny?" he asked her.

She shook her head, put her arms around her father's neck and clinging to him. "I want to go home," she told her father pointedly. "At least, to Bill's house."

Molly handed the papers back to the healer, who checked them and then nodded to the three redheads. "You're free to go," he told them.

Arthur took Ginny's hand in his, letting her walk beside him. When Molly took her other hand, Ginny did not protest, making Molly smile to herself. Once at the apparition point, Arthur took Molly's hand and disapparated with them.

They appeared in front of Bill's flat, and immediately the door flew open, Bill, Charlie, and Percy tumbling out of the flat. "Ginny?" they said together, all three looking at her.

Ginny looked up at her father and he smiled reassuringly at her. Percy turned around and went back into the building without a word. "Is he upset with me?" Ginny asked Bill and Charlie.

"No, Ginny," Charlie answered, stepping forward, but Ginny clung to her father, looking at Charlie carefully.

" _Tsez_ ," Icythan scolded her sternly. "Boy isss _tsez_! Friend to the magical creaturesss!"

Ginny ignored her serpent, going to Bill instead of Charlie. Bill knelt down and wrapped her in a big hug which she returned as good as she could. "He was worried about you, Gin," Bill said in a strange voice. "All of us were." He held her at arms length and looked into her face.

"You were afraid I'd change," she said, her voice trailing off as she lost his train of thought. "Change from what? And you were right? What did you think I'd be when I came home? A monster? Let me go!" She pulled away from Bill and dashed into the house.

Bill and Charlie looked at their mother and father very carefully. "You've made her boring," Charlie told his mother. "Thanks so much. She doesn't even trust me now." Charlie turned and went back into the house, followed by Bill.

They found that Ginny had run back to her room and locked the door. Fred sighed. "If she put up wards, you'll never get past them," he warned his parents.

"There's no ward on the door," Arthur said, touching the door with the back of his hand. "Just leave her alone for a little while. She's only been awake for a few minutes since they finished their work."

"Their dirty work," George said, sharing a scowl with his twin.

Ron frowned at them. "It's not right to have you two upset," he told them. "What's wrong?"

Arthur sighed and sat down on the couch. "Listen very carefully," he told his youngest son as Molly sat down. "Ginny is adopted."

"What?!" Ron hollered in shock. "No!"

Molly nodded. "It's true, Ron," she told him. "I always wanted a daughter, but after several more boys and no girl, we figured it was time to try something else. So, when we found a little girl up for adoption, we brought her into our family. That little girl is Ginny."

Ron looked around at his brothers. "She's joking, right?" he asked them, and Bill shook his head.

"The day Ginny came home, she was angry with all of us and didn't want to be here," Bill told Ron, hoping Ginny was listening to them since she hadn't warded her room. "She knew that we were not her family, but she settled down and became part of us. But there are times when she becomes very upset, like she did yesterday morning, and she has to be taken to St. Mungo's for treatment. But most of the time, she's all right."

Percy sighed, shaking his head. "Ron, she's a Parselmouth, and she received that from her real family," he told his little brother. "She doesn't just remember simple phrases that You-Know-Who spoke through her; she is a Parselmouth from a family of such."

Ron stared at Percy in horror. "But—but that means that she's a Dark witch!"

"No, it doesn't!" Charlie snapped at him coldly. "Harry Potter's a Parselmouth and he's not a Dark Wizard!"

"'It's the decisions you make that make you the wizard you are,'" Percy quoted Dumbledore.

"Well, then, Ginny certainly isn't like us," Ron told his parents and brothers. "She chose to take that serpent with her! She's not good!"

A door barged open, and Ginny stood, eyes blazing, in the doorway of the room. "She chose to stand up for you when a Muggle was teasing you about your hair," Ginny snapped angrily. "I may be different, but I still claim you!"

Ron looked directly into her eyes and asked, "Would you stand up for me if it were Malfoy who was teasing me?"

"Of course," exclaimed Ginny in exasperation. "I wouldn't let him annoy my brother!"

The red-haired boy in front of her put out his hand for her to shake. "Here's to a friendship between me and you," he told her.

She took his hand, ignoring her serpent's warnings, and said, "For now. It's void, of course, if you turn on me."

Ron looked at her in alarm, then nodded and shook her hand firmly. "Agreed."

Fred and George just stared, very disappointed that their sister would make a truce with Ron. Percy was depressed because Ginny was so calm and sweet and gentle now. Bill and Charlie were so horrified at the change in their sister that they didn't know how to express how they felt.

Molly was thrilled, however, and congratulated Ron and Ginny on beginning to work out their differences. Ron grinned, and Charlie noticed a wicked glint in his eyes that he didn't like. Charlie said nothing, thinking carefully.


	6. Back to the Chamber

A couple days later, Charlie left early in the morning to go back to his home, and Ginny got up to see him off at Bill's insistance. Ginny reluctantly went to the living room to say goodbye to Charlie, and found him hugging his mother goodbye. Molly was crying, and Ginny felt quite embarrassed.

Percy noticed her and said, "Ginny's here, Charlie."

Charlie turned to her and held out his arms for her to come to him. Ginny smiled a little, then walked up to him as he knelt down and put his arms around her. "Goodbye, Ginny," he told her. "I love you, sis."

"Love you too," she responded automatically, then stepped back, considering her next words. Ginny stroked the scales of the serpent on her wrist and said, "Icythan says to thank you. I don't know what for, but he said you would know." She looked up at her brother and added, "He also said he was pleased to meet you."

Charlie looked at the serpent and said, "You protect my sister now."

"Alwaysss protect missstress!" Icythan replied indignantly, and Ginny repeated his words to Charlie with a smile.

"Good," he replied, and said very softly to Ginny, "You're welcome" before he turned, taking his trunk and leaving the house.

Ginny sighed and headed back to her room. "You don't have to stay in your room, you know, Ginny," Bill told her. "Since you're leaving tomorrow afternoon, I was hoping you'd stay out here and talk with us." Ginny looked at him carefully, pressing her lips together. She nodded and came to sit around the lunch table with the rest of them. Bill grinned at her. "Lunch is almost ready anyway: Mum kicked me out of the kitchen."

She giggled and asked, "Does she not like your cooking?"

Fred and George snickered. "Ginny, Mum hasn't had his cooking," Fred said.

"Mum hasn't been here for breakfast or supper," George told her, "and we usually eat lunch out."

"She just wanted him to have some home-cooking before we left," Percy added, finally speaking to Ginny for the first time since she'd come back from St. Mungo's.

Ginny nodded and everyone looked up as Molly brought a pan to the table. Ron cheered, "Spaghetti! Woohoo!"

"Sit down. Sit down," Molly told him, heading back into the kitchen for the sauce. When she returned, Arthur helped her serve and everyone began to eat.

" _Hisssusss_?" asked Icythan hopefully, poking his head out of her sleeve.

"Oh," she sighed, looking around. Pulling Bill's sleeve, she leaned up and whispered in his ear, "Could you transfigure a piece of bread into a rat or something for Icythan? He's hungry."

Icythan seemed puzzled. "Why can't you do it?" he hissed in annoyance.

" _Sheisss_ are here," Ginny replied, unable to think of a better word to describe her parents. "They do not like me to do magic out of school."

Bill grinned conspiratorially at Ginny and nodded, drawing his wand quietly. The moment the transfiguration was finished, the mouse shot off of his plate, diving onto the floor and racing for a crack in the wall. Icythan hissed excitedly and slithered after it, catching it and devouring it.

Molly screamed and Arthur jumped in surprise. "Ginevra!" Molly shrieked. "I've told you time and time again: no magic—oh, disgusting!" Ron let out an exclamation and Molly snapped, "Ron! Language!"

Fred and George stared, then gasped together, "Wicked!"

Icythan slithered up to Ginny and hissed, "More!"

Ginny picked him up and put him back on her wrist. " _Sheisss_ is displeased," she told him. "I don't think they underssstand snakesss very well. They think swallowing prey whole is disgusting."

"Ssstupid dumb onesss," hissed the serpent to himself, disappointed. "At least the missstress understandsss."

"Ginny," Molly said severely, "you are not supposed to do—"

"Mum," Bill said softly, "she didn't transfigure it. I did. Ginny asked me to."

Molly just looked at him and Arthur said, "Ah, well, let's have no more snakes chasing mice around the table."

Ginny frowned as Icythan hissed indignantly. "He's a serpent, not a snake," she corrected her father.

"What's the difference?" Ron groaned in annoyance. "They're both the same!"

"They are not," Ginny replied quickly before Icythan could complain. "Serpents are poisonous—I mean, venomous—" she added as Icthan interrupted her "—and snakes are non-venomous."

Fred gaped. "Our little sister carries an animal that could kill her at any moment?"

"Ginny!" George said worriedly, "we thought that he was just a snake!"

"Jussst a snake!" Icythan would have screeched if he'd been something other than a serpent. "Jussst a snake! Snakesss cannot bond asss serpentsss can because of their venom! It isss the venom that causesss the bond! And missstress isss a ssspeaker. Venom will not harm missstress."

"Speakersss are not harmed by ssserpent venom?" Ginny asked Icythan to make sure she understood him.

Icythan sulked, "Missstress forgot everything the bitematesss told her—and everything missstress knew about serpentsss and snakesss." He tucked his head under his tail and wouldn't reply to her.

Ginny scowled at her food and went back to eating. "Ginny?" Percy said softly. "You didn't answer the twins?"

"Venom will not harm me because I am a Parselmouth," Ginny finally answered with a sigh.

"Then why did the basilisk almost kill Harry?" Ron demanded.

Icythan's head whipped up and he hissed, " _Sheisss!_ We will _sissshausss_ him! He who destroyed a bitemate!"

"Harry Potter is _tsez!_ " Ginny snarled at Icythan before she could stop herself. "And—wait! That basilisssk wasss your bitemate?"

But the tiny serpent was back to sulking. "Missstress yellsss like the _sheisss_ mother," he said before putting his head back under his tail. "He is a bitemate, like missstress and her brothersss. Not the sssame nessst."

 _He means that basilisks refer to each other as bitemates, much like Ron refers to Harry as his "best mate,"_ a voice said to Ginny, making her jump in absolute shock.

"He isss _tsez_ ," Icythan hissed, trying to calm Ginny. She put her fork down and left the table, heading to her room.

 _Ginny?_ Tom asked, feeling like someone had punched him in the gut.

"Icythan," Ginny hissed in annoyance, "you have the strangessst senssse of _tsez_ ever. He's a voice in my head. How could he be _tsez_?"

"Ginny, you didn't answer me!" hollered Ron from the other room.

Icythan and Tom told her what to say and Ginny yelled back, "He's not a natural Parselmouth!"

"What's that mean?" Ron yelled again.

"I don't know!" shouted Ginny in exasperation, throwing herself on the bed. "I don't know anything anymore!"

 _Ginny,_ Tom said softly, _I am Tom Riddle, and I've been your friend for nearly three years. Your mother had your memories modified._

 _Mum wouldn't do that_ , Ginny snapped, then asked very quietly, _Did you say Tom Riddle?_

 _I did_ , he replied. _The one and only._

Tears gathered in Ginny's eyes and rolled down her face. _No!_ she sobbed. _Harry killed you!_ She looked into the mirror and told herself sharply that she was only imagining him.

 _Ginny,_ he began, _listen to me._

 _I won't!_ Ginny screamed, throwing up her Occlumency Shields. A searing pain made her sink to her knees, holding her head. _Tom, please!_ she sobbed, somehow knowing he'd forced her shields down.

 _Ginny Love,_ Tom said very seriously, feeling guilty that he'd hurt her, _I need to talk to you. Please listen for a minute._

"No," Ginny sobbed, but she was listening.

 _Put up the wards on your room_ , he told her.

 _I don't know how, Tom,_ Ginny sobbed, trying not to cry aloud as she held her hands to her head. She obeyed his very careful instructions and placed the wards up on the room.

Tom complimented Ginny on her wards, then said, _Ginny, I met you two summers ago, in your paddock just before sunrise. I had a serpent with me, and you spoke to him. That was the first time either of us realized that you were a Parselmouth._

 _I don't remember that,_ Ginny snapped at him, anger covering up her fear.

Tom sighed and began to tell Ginny the entire story (short version) of two summers before her first year, the following summer, and then on into her first year, telling her everything he knew that had happened to her.

 _Why can't I remember that then?_ Ginny snapped at him. _You're lying to me like you did before._

 _Ginny Love, I swear I'm not,_ he promised her. _Not less than three days ago, Mrs. Weasley dragged you off to St. Mungo's and had the medi-wizards make you forget everything I just told you. You can't remember what I taught you about serpents like Icythan, or anything that we learned together about you and your real family. You don't even care about them anymore, and you used to be proud of them._

Ginny threw herself onto the bed again. _No! Mum wouldn't do that! And I can't find out anything about my family!_

 _Ask Bill,_ Tom said. _He will tell you that you have something to do tonight to help the serpents. But he will not tell you about your real parents anymore: Molly scolded him for talking to you about it in the first place._

 _You leave my brother alone,_ Ginny ordered Tom.

 _I have never spoken to one of them,_ Tom replied, _and I most likely will never have the privilege._

Ginny sniffled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. _Why?_

Tom sighed again. _Ginny, the world thinks I'm the Dark Lord. I can't exactly talk to your brothers now, can I? They would probably accuse me of trying to kill you._

 _Oh_. Ginny was silent for a moment, then asked, _Tom, I'm sorry that I was afraid of you. I—I thought—_

Tears filled her eyes again and Tom said, _Don't cry, Ginny Love. It's all right. I don't blame you for what Mrs. Weasley's done to you._

Ginny sniffled, then said, _Don't blame her, Tom. She does what she thinks is best._

 _So does my cousin,_ Tom replied wryly. _That doesn't mean it's right._

 _But she's my mum,_ Ginny insisted. _Maybe not my real mum, but she's the one who takes care of me._

Tom agreed with Ginny reluctantly, then said, _You'll need a lot of work to be ready for tonight. Bill is going to take you back to the tomb where you got Icythan so that you can speak to Tabashi and hopefully make the serpent room safe for the curse-breakers and take off the Parselmouth Ward. You'll be moving the secrets they are keeping, as well as Icythan's bitemates, to the Chamber of Secrets._

 _Oh._ Ginny thought that through for a moment, then nodded. _I know now why Icythan said that I had some things to do tonight._

Tom laughed. _Yes. He was right. Icythan's memory hasn't been disturbed, so he knows everything that has happened since he came to you. I doubt healers know how to erase or block serpent memory._

 _That's ridiculous,_ Ginny snorted. _Why would they even think of doing that? They wouldn't even think that a serpent could communicate its thoughts like Icythan does._

There was a knock on the ward, and Ginny allowed to wards to drop, letting Bill into her room. "Yes?" she asked him.

"Are you—do you remember—" Bill just looked at her awkwardly, not sure what to say.

She laughed. "Yes, I remember," she told him with a grin. "I was trying to prepare for tonight, talking with my _tsez_." Ginny added a word of Parseltongue so that she wouldn't have to explain Tom's advice and knowledge to her brother. "I'm not at all sure what I'll be doing and how I'll be doing it, but I do know that I have to talk to Tabashi, the leader of the serpents first."

Bill nodded, a smile of relief crossing his face. "Thank goodness," he breathed, and Ginny grabbed his hand.

"Icythan told me what happened," she said urgently. "I don't remember anything too much except that I'm expected to behave, whatever that means. I'm not even sure I recall anything from last year except that I almost died and Harry 'rescued' me." Ginny stuck out her tongue at her words.

She felt Tom's amusement and warned him not to make her laugh. _Ginny Love,_ he told her, _Bill will just think that you're still giggly over Potter._

 _Tom, that's not funny,_ Ginny told him. _For some reason, I know that I didn't like Harry much after I almost died, even if he did save me. Mum wanted me to change my mind, I guess. But I won't. I'll only pretend to, even if Ron teases me._

 _Oh, that's another thing,_ Tom warned her. _Ron only made that vow because he has a nasty purpose in mind._

Ginny frowned, and Bill asked her what was wrong. "Nothing," Ginny replied, then told Tom, _He does not. We made a deal and as long as he keeps his end of the deal, I'll keep mine. If he's nice, I'll be nice._

"All right, then," Bill told her. "Do you think midnight would be all right? Or should it be after that?"

"Let's try one o' clock," Ginny said. "We might be up late since it's the last night."

Bill nodded, then said, "Why don't you come play a game with us, Gin? It's not good for you to be alone." Icythan poked his head out of her sleeve and hissed at him. "Um, without human company, I mean," Bill amended, making Ginny laugh and Icythan hiss again.

"He says that he's glad you can understand him a little," Ginny giggled. "He'sss ssstill not a ssspeaker," she told Icythan, who retorted that he was aware of that. With the serpent on her wrist, Ginny jumped up off of the bed and followed Bill into the living room to play games with the rest of the family until it was bedtime.

* * *

About one o'clock, Ginny heard a soft knock at her door. Bill was there, ready to leave. Ginny smiled, shoving her wand into her pocket and putting Icythan on her wrist. "Let's go," she said.

"Where's your cloak?" he asked her. "It may be summer, but it'll be drafty in the tombs."

"It's in the living room," Ginny replied, "hanging from the rack in there." They left the room and Ginny turned around, making sure her wards had reset. "Good," she said softly.

They headed into the living room, Ginny looking over at the rack. "Drat." Fred and George lay sleeping between her and the rack. Bill summoned her cloak without difficulty, and the two proceeded to leave the flat.

Taking Ginny's hand, Bill disapparated. They appeared outside the tomb, the stone slab still across it. _Tell it to open,_ Icythan told Ginny. _The bitemates are waiting inside the other room._

"Open," hissed Ginny, watching the stones very carefully. Both she and her brother had their wands in their hands, prepared for anything as the slab moved upward again. "All clear," Ginny announced, moving forward. "Now where was that archway?"

Ginny and Bill hurried along the tunnels until they hurried up the steps in front of the archway. Ginny frowned at it, not remembering what to do. _Touch the wall below the arch,_ Tom ordered, and Ginny obeyed, gasping at the appearance of the symbols. _Now touch one of the sides of the door and tell it that the mistress has come._

Stepping forward, Ginny touched the side of the door and hissed, "The missstress hasss come!"

A multitude of Parseltongue words assaulted her ears, and Icythan explained, "That was the bitematesss. They are excited for what isss to happen."

The door opened, making the same soft explosion, but Bill remained by Ginny's side. The old serpent slithered out of the darkness, coming toward Ginny. To her horror, he slithered right up her leg and robe, settling around her neck. "Fear," hissed the serpent, tasting her neck with his flicking tongue. "The new missstress isss afraid."

Ginny stared straight ahead, not knowing how to reply. "There isss no need to be afraid," he hissed. "Missstress hasss said that she wantsss to open thisss room to the non-speakersss. Missstress told the bitematesss that she knowsss a sssafer place for them to go. We will leave if you will take usss to thisss other place."

"All right," Ginny agreed. "But I mussst open the place firssst: remove the Parselmouth Ward."

"The secretsss," said the old serpent sharply. "They must be taken to the Chamber before the Ward comesss down."

Ginny bit her lip, and Tom encouraged her to go ahead, but reminded her that Bill was there and would need to be kept from the serpentsss. "Um, I need my brother to stay with me," Ginny told Tabashi. "He will not disturb anything, but I need him with me so that he and the rest of my family don't worry."

"Very well," Tabashi dismissed her words with a sharp order to the rest of the bitemates. "Now take him, and go on into the room to remove the secretsss."

Following the serpent's instructions (and realizing that Icythan was absolutely silent), Ginny motioned to Bill to follow her and headed into the room, lifting her wand and pronouncing, " **Lumos.** "

Ginny saw that the room was actually a long and narrow hall, with holes in the floor and a room at the end of the hall. "How do I get through this?" she asked the old serpent.

"Don't ssstep in the holesss," Tabashi told her matter-of-factly.

She repeated it to Bill, who took her hand and followed her down the hall to the room. When they entered the room, the old serpent told her to go to the third to last shelf on the left side of the room. There, she was told, was where she would find what she was to hide.

Ginny walked up to the shelf and saw a single book sitting there. To her amazement, she saw that there were no cobwebs or spider webs on the book. "It hasss dussst protection on it," Icythan explained as Ginny lifted the book down. "And _hisssusss_ do not make websss where the bitematesss are."

The book was blue, gold lettering that made no sense across the front of it. Bill looked over Ginny's shoulder and Tabashi hissed at him. "He can't read it," Ginny told him, having hissed the title to herself. "He isss a non-speaker."

"He isss still not allowed to see it," hissed Tabashi. "Massster said—"

"If I am the missstress, I sssaid that he isss, because he still doesn't understand it," argued Ginny. "It won't hurt him, will it?"

Tabashi finally replied, "No." He did not say another word for a little while.

Ginny looked at Bill. "You're not supposed to see this," she told him with a slight grin, holding her wand up so she could see his face. "But I know you can't read it."

Bill did not smile. "Ginny, please be careful," he told her. "You're pretty much on your own, so I'm trusting you."

She nodded and walked across the room at Icythan's suggestion, heading down a flight of stone and dirt steps. Bill followed her, but at Icythan's warning hiss, Ginny warned him that they were heading toward many other serpents that lived in the rooms. Ginny stepped off of the stairs and shone her wand-light into the room, gasping.

Serpents slithered across the floor, which was sunken in like a pit. Other serpents were wrapped around supports in the ceiling, hissing down at Ginny and her brother. "How many bitemates are there?" Ginny asked Icythan when he became very excited and started hissing about seeing his bitemates again.

"Ssseventeen," hissed Icythan happily, "including me. They are all ready to go to the Chamber that missstress ssspoke of."

Ginny nodded, then stepped down into the pit, calling the serpents to gather around her. They all slithered down to the pit, gathering around Ginny in a circle, attention on her although their eyes were closed. She explained to them that they were going to leave, and that they would still protect the secrets, although they would not have to worry about very many non-speakers coming through their tomb.

They all hissed excitedly, and Ginny told them, "You can all come to me as Icythan did, and I will take you to the Chamber." They slithered toward Ginny as she knelt down, putting out her hands for them to coil around. When she had all of them settled on her body, she turned back to Bill, who was staring at her in horror.

"Ginny, how many of them do you have?" he gasped.

"Seventeen," she replied with a laugh and smile. "All the bitemates except for Tabashi." The old serpent was going to stay in the tombs, for it did not wish to leave its home. "I have to take them to the Chamber of Secrets."

Bill nodded. "You said you had a plan of how to get there without being detected?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Ginny nearly panicked. _Tom, how was I supposed to get there?_

 _You were supposed to apparate him and yourself there,_ Tom replied. _But you don't know what the Chamber looks like or how to apparate anymore._

 _What shall I do?_ Ginny gasped.

Tom shrugged mentally. _Let me apparate you. He'll be so surprised he won't notice._

 _But—_ Ginny's first year fears returned to her, and Tom sighed, waiting for her to make up her mind as the serpents hissed uneasily. _All right,_ she whimpered, waiting for him to force her mind away.

Ginny felt the soft fingers of his mind creep into hers and gently take control. There was no pain, and she sighed in relief. Icythan suddenly shouted at his bitemates that Tom was a speaker and _tsez_ and that they were not to bite Ginny.

Tom allowed bits of his magic to surround Ginny and reassure her while he was there. Ginny gasped at the warm, cozy feeling of his magic, making the basilisks all hiss very excitedly. _I love you,_ Tom said to her softly.

Stepping forward, Tom grabbed Bill's wrist and disapparated. They appeared in the Chamber, Bill sitting on the floor, staring up at his sister. "Ginny?" he gasped. "Ginny, you never told me you would do that. That's illegal!"

"Ooops," said Tom mildly. "You know, I really couldn't help that."

"You apparated underage," Bill scolded, standing up. "And you went right through the Hogwarts Wards! Ginny, that could get you expelled."

"They won't know," Tom replied nonchalantly. "The Hogwarts Wards don't influence the Chamber of Secrets.

Bill frowned. "And you remember all this?" he asked.

Tom shook his head. "These are not my memories," he replied. "They belong to Icythan and his bitemates. Or maybe it's their memory of my memory. I don't know. Come, let's go on to the hatching ground." He led the way across the Chamber, making sure to avoid the main room because of the dead basilisk. That was the last thing he wanted Icythan and his bitemates to see.

"Here," he hissed to Icythan and his bitemates, looking down at the sand that made up the floor of the room. "Thisss isss the place that your missstress told you about. Here you will be sssafe, and can patrol the wallsss. But beware: when school isss in, there isss another ssspeaker who will be here. He isss a _sheisss_ of basilisks: a ssserpent killer. His name isss Harry Potter. Do not ssspeak to him."

The basilisks slithered off of Ginny's body, heading off into the sand, writhing and coiling around each other happily. Icythan moved from where he had been at Ginny's neck back to her wrist.

 _Tom!_ Ginny protested, _Harry is not a_ sheisss _!_

 _He is to the basilisks,_ Tom replied. _He will not treat them as kindly as you and I do, Ginny._

Ginny growled in annoyance in her mind, unable to speak aloud. _Tell Icythan to join his bitemates for a few minutes,_ she requested of Tom.

Tom repeated her words to Icythan, and he was off immediately, playing with his bitemates. Bill sighed, then asked, "What are you going to do with the book that you took from the tomb?"

"Leave it here," Tom sighed. "I don't want anyone to see it and ask me about it. I don't want to raise any suspicion, I guess. I'll ward it, of course."

"Why, if the entrance has a Parselmouth Ward?" Bill asked.

"Harry," Tom said without apology. "I don't want him to see it. Especially because if he read it out loud, he could understand it. That's not a chance I'm willing to take." Tom put the book up on a brick in the back of the room and carefully warded it in.

Tom sighed, watching the serpents play and thinking about his own basilisk. _You had a basilisk, Tom?_ Ginny asked.

 _Yes, Ginny Love,_ he replied softly. _Harry killed it last year to save your life—and mine as well, although he didn't know he saved my life._

 _I'm sorry,_ Ginny told him, feeling his sadness. Then she detected anger and drew her mind away from him. _What's wrong?_ she asked worriedly.

 _The injustice done to you_ , Tom spat acidly. _You don't remember half of what I ever taught you, and it'll take forever to teach you everything again._

Ginny pouted. _I'm sorry that I'm so stupid,_ she told him.

Tom immediately realized how he'd sounded. _I didn't mean it like that,_ he apologized. _I meant that the St. Mungo's medi-wizards made you forget it: put Memory Charms on you._

 _Tom,_ Ginny protested, _you keep saying that!_

 _Because it's true!_ Tom insisted. _It's also true that it's getting late and we need to take your older brother home._

Giggling, Ginny agreed with him, and Tom said to Bill, "Are you ready to go home?"

"If you are," Bill replied. "But don't you need to return to the tomb and shut the doors you left open?"

"Oh." Tom was silent, then grinned. "Right." Turning to the basilisks, he hissed, "Icythan, we are leaving. Come now. You will see your bitemates again, I promise." He stooped down and picked up the tiny serpent, placing him back on Ginny's wrist. Grabbing Bill's wrist, Tom disapparated.

Reappearing at the tomb, Tom let go of Bill's hand and dashed into the tunnels. With Icythan hissing helpful hints, Tom was able to bring down the Parselmouth Ward, as well as many of the curse wards in the room (the holes in the floor closed up).

Bill came up, and Tom said, "Come here. Give me your hand." Bill refused, and Tom sighed. "I need to reset the wards so that it will recognize you," Tom explained. "Please, Bill? Please?"

Frowning, Bill consented, and Tom caught his left hand, placing it flat against the door. He traced an _x_ over it with his wand, magic popping and crackling as he did the spell. "Parkington," Tom whispered, and with a crackling as a huge lightning storm, the ward went up on the room.

"So how is the room accessible now?" Bill asked, pulling his hand away from Ginny's and using his wand to levitate a random rock in the passage.

"Put your hand against it and say 'Parkington,'" Tom replied. "You'll be the only one recognized by the ward right now, but you should be able to adjust it since you were part of the spell."

Icythan hissed, "The brother's magic is more rough than _tsez_ 's magic. Missstress liked massster'sss magic."

"Not that again," Tom told the basilisk, Ginny's face turning red from his blush. He took Bill's hand, disapparating back to his flat. "And here we are," Tom said, giving Ginny back her body so he could be embarrassed in peace.

"Well, thank you, I think," Bill told Ginny, not sure what to say to her.

She grinned sheepishly. "I think I broke some rules tonight," she told her brother as he opened the front door.

He snickered. "It's a good thing you didn't apparate with a wand, or you would have been traced. Wait. Ginny, do you _ever_ use a wand?" he asked her.

"Of course," she replied after becoming quiet to listen to Tom's hurried ramble of what she should tell him. She lowered her voice to a near whisper. "It's just that with apparition and wards I almost always do it wandlessly. Can't be traced as easily."

"YOU NEEDN'T WHISPER!" shouted the twins, jumping up on either side of Ginny. "We are awake!" She collapsed to the ground, eyes closed.

"Ginny?" gasped Fred.

"Ginny!" the twins cried together.

Bill frowned at them. "Now you've done it."

Ginny opened one eye. "Done what?"

"Gin!" scolded George, "Don't do that to us!"

"Did I frighten you?" Ginny teased them, and the twins shook their heads.

Bill and Ginny laughed and he said, "What got you up?"

"Sound of your apparition," Fred told his brother. "You're awfully loud."

"Yeah," added George, "but we didn't hear anything when you came back!"

Bill shrugged. "Either I must be getting better or you must be losing it, George." Ginny's laugh turned into a yawn, and she headed for her room.

Fred stopped her. "Now wait a minute, Ginny," he said very patiently, "we're very curious to know where you went, what you did, and what you were talking about when you walked in the door."

"And you'll keep wondering," Ginny told her, pulling her arm away. "I went to see the bitemates one more time before we leave." She went on into her room, dressed for bed, lay down, and promptly fell asleep.


	7. Twin Trouble

When Ginny and her family left Egypt the next morning, Flooing home, Ginny was glad to be heading back to the Burrow. She wanted time to recooperate from everything that had happened to her in Egypt, for she was not sure what to believe about her visit to St. Mungo's.

Percy had gone back to staying in his room most of the time, using his owl to send messages to his girlfriend, Ginny supposed. She didn't really care about that anymore: she was more interested in Ron's little deal with her. Several people had told her that he only did it because he had a nasty purpose for it, and Ginny wondered if they were right.

Fred and George returned to making their joke items, sometimes including Ginny in their brainstorming sessions. Tom would join Ginny, but she often told him to shut up because he always suggested pranks that were more like hexes. _The point of these is not to make enemies_ , she felt the need to remind him quite often.

Her twin brothers were excited for the Charleston girls to come to their house, and Ginny encouraged them. Ron, of course, did not approve of the girls coming to the Burrow, but he kept quiet after a brief but violent argument with both his mother and Ginny.

* * *

About a week after they arrived back at home, Ginny was asleep in her bed when she heard pounding footsteps on the stairs and a sudden pounding on her door. "Come in," she called sleepily.

Fred and George bounced into her room, jumping up onto her bed. "Ginny, guess what's happened?" they asked her, grinning in excitement.

"What?" Ginny mumbled sleepily.

"Sirius Black's escaped from Azkaban!" George announced.

"Well, congratulate him for me," Ginny told her brother, turning over and pulling her blankets over her head.

Fred and George looked at each other, and Fred said, "No, Ginny. He's an escaped convict from prison? The Ministry thinks that he wants to kill Harry."

Ginny sat straight up and stared at them. "What?" she shrieked. "Why?"

The twins looked at each other with knowing smirks. "She likes him still," Fred said, and Ginny snapped, "I do not! Tell me why Black would want to kill Harry!"

"Well," George said, "Black betrayed Harry's parents, you know. And he killed twelve Muggles plus a wizard who used to be Black's friend."

"And just because he did those things, the Ministry thinks he's after Harry?" Ginny threw herself back onto her pillows. "They need help," she said flatly.

Laughing, the twins agreed. "But," George added, "they also think that he might have escaped with the idea of bringing back You-Know-Who."

Ginny stared at him and Tom burst out laughing in her mind. _Tom, hush,_ she told him. "He wouldn't do that!" she told George. "He was a Gryffindor, and his family disowned him!"

"Ginny, if he killed thirteen people and betrayed the Potters to You-Know-Who, what makes you think he wouldn't want to bring You-Know-Who back now?" Fred said.

"I don't know," sighed Ginny, throwing her hands up. "I suppose he might think that it would improve his status in his family's eyes."

The twins shrugged. "I don't know exactly how much bringing back the Dark Lord would help his being disowned while all his family is either dead or mostly dead," Fred said wryly.

Ginny grinned wryly. "At least he made one good decision in his life: he left his family."

George snickered as another pounding came on the door, and Ron ran into the room, diving onto the bed before Ginny could respond. "Ginny! Did they tell you?" he demanded.

"Tell me what?" Ginny asked him, reaching for Icythan and placing him back on her wrist. "Keep your rat in your pocket: Icythan wants to eat him."

Ron looked horrified, and the twins snickered. "Um, about Sirius Black?" Ron asked finally.

Ginny nodded. "Fred and George just told me," she said with a grin. "Do they know how he got out?"

"Nope!" Ron answered, his eyes wide. "There's no sign of how he got out. Gin, he's got to be super powerful to break out of Azkaban!"

"Of course," Ginny said in a _duh_ voice, leaning back on her pillows and looking up at the ceiling. "He's a Black!"

"He wasn't the only Black in Azkaban, though," Ron said, pulling out the article on Sirius' escape. "Apparently his cousin is there too."

Taking the paper, Ginny read the article and frowned. "Biological cousins, yes, but not paper cousins," she told Ron. "They severed those ties. This barely mentions that fact: it was a side note of interest."

"It says he's armed and dangerous," Ron said, his eyes troubled. "And Ginny, Dad says that Black is after Harry!"

Ginny shrugged. "Do you really think he's armed?" she asked. When she received confused frowns, she reached up and tapped the side of her head with her finger. "Think he's armed?" she asked again.

Ron and the twins laughed. "Don't know," Fred said.

"Dad said he's deranged," George added. "Don't know what that means. I mean, we rarely give intelligence tests to those who are supposed to be in prison for life."

Ginny snickered. "I suppose there's no way of knowing how much the dementors have effected him," she said.

"Think the Aurors will catch him?" Ron asked.

"Probably," the twins replied. "I mean, how good can he be against the Aurors, especially when he's just escaped from Azkaban?"

Rolling her eyes, Ginny said, "If he's half as freaked out as Hagrid was when he only spent what—a month or so?—in Azkaban, then Black would probably rather die at the Aurors' hands than go back. Actually, he'd probably think that that would be an undignified way to die."

Ron laughed. "You're crazy, Ginny," he told her.

"I know," Ginny replied with a yawn. "Now all of you get out of my room so I can get dressed."

"Hold on, Gin," Fred said. "We want to ask you about the twins."

"Twins?" Ron asked, his brow wrinkled. "Oh. Them. Ginny, why do you insist on playing with them? They're Slytherins!"

Fred shoved Ron face-first into the blankets and George sat on his back. Ginny looked at her older brothers with a sigh. "Ron, they're my friends. And my cousins. And I like them because they're like me in some ways. They have their quirks, and I do too. We get along, even if we disagree. Let him up, George."

George let Ron up and asked, "You told us they're coming for the last two weeks of summer?" Ginny nodded and Fred said, "We have three weeks last Monday until they'll be here."

Ginny grinned happily, but Ron gave the three of them disgusted looks, jumped off the bed, and ran out of the room. She frowned after him, quite irritated. "Fred, George, can you help me make sure that he doesn't ruin their time here?" she asked them pleadingly. "He'll probably be absolutely rude to him."

The twins nodded, then jumped up. "We'll let you get up, Ginny," they said graciously, and Ginny smirked.

"Well, thanks for shutting the door!" she called after them when they left her room door wide open. "Boys," she grumbled to herself.

* * *

Brianna sat on the side of her bed, facing her twin, who was sitting on her bed. "Something has happened to her," Brianna said matter-of-factly. "The Estella I know does not write like that. She's too...childish."

Samantha frowned at the letter Brianna was holding. "She has a more mature tone than that letter conveys," she agreed, "unless it wasn't written by her."

"That's possible," Brianna sighed, "but I don't believe Ron would write to us and the twins don't write like that. I still think that something has happened to Estella."

With a sigh, Samantha asked, "What do you think could have happened?"

"I don't know," replied Brianna, looking at their family picture up on the wall, "but if those Weasleys did it to her, please keep me from cursing the whole litter of them!"

"But if I have to stop you, then you can't stop me," complained Samantha, and the two girls giggled together. "Oh! Do you think this is the twins' way of trying to trick us? Do you think that they asked her to write her letter that way?"

"I don't know that either," Brianna replied, grinning. "Only one way to find out—when we go to the Burrow on Monday."

* * *

Ginny and her family were sitting around their table eating lunch when a knock came at the door. "I'll get it," Fred said, his mouth full.

"No!" Ron said, nearly spitting out the milk he'd just taken a drink of. "Don't let them in!"

"Ron!" Ginny directed a sharp frown at him and Molly backed it up, asking Percy to answer the door. Disappointed, Fred sat back down as Percy got up.

Opening the door, Percy smiled politely at the girls. "Hello," he said. "You must be Ginny's friends. We're at lunch, so come on in and join us."

Feeling awkward, the girls stepped into the Burrow and Percy shut the door behind them. Looking over the table, Brianna saw Ginny, who smiled at her, reassuring her that she was welcome in the Weasley home.

"Hungry?" George asked them, shoving a bite into his mouth and grinning at the dark-haired twins. "Si dowd ad joid us," he managed to tell them.

Stepping closer to each other so that their hands touched, Brianna and Samantha came and sat down on one side of the table, Ron scooting away from them. "Sorry," Brianna told him. "I didn't know you were allergic to black-haired girls."

Ron just gaped at her, then glared over at Ginny, who said, "Now, you two, stop it."

The Charleston girls looked at each other carefully, then began to eat what Mrs. Weasley had put on their plates. "Ginny," Samantha began cautiously, "are you all right?"

"Of course," Ginny replied without hesitation. "I'm glad that you two could come."

The twins grinned. "Mum had to convince Dad that it would be all right," Brianna said with a grin. "But it didn't take her long."

Fred leaned across the table and said conspiratorially, "You know, it's a great honour to be invited to the Weasley home. Not many people at all can boast of that."

"Megan and Guage would be scandalized," Samantha sniggered, and Brianna laughed.

"Who?" Ron asked.

"Sage and Rillian," Percy told Ron. "The red-haired Slytherin girl and her brainy Slytherin friend. They're in Ginny's year."

Ginny frowned. "They would get over themselves," she told the girls. "And if Megan came, she would adapt, although she wouldn't be half as easy to get along with as you two are."

Brianna grinned. "Of course not," she agreed. "The red hair and the temper go together."

Scowling at his plate, Ron muttered, "Black hair and Slytherin go together."

"Goodness, Weasel," drawled Brianna, sounding just like Draco, "haven't you noticed Potter's black hair and Gryffindor crest?"

Without saying another word (although he was fuming inside), Ron finished his lunch and went straight up to his room. Fred and George complimented Brianna on her mimicry, and she shrugged modestly. "It's not that hard," she said. "Ginny does it too."

George laughed. "Ginny likes mimicking people," he said. "In fact, she made this face the other day—"

"That was last summer," Fred interrupted his twin. "Not the other day."

"Same thing," George replied. "And she said she got it from you two."

"I did not!" Ginny protested. "I said I got it from watching other Slytherins, but I didn't specify, and it wasn't the twins!"

Brianna and Samantha looked at each other cautiously, both understanding that Ginny had changed. They said nothing, and suddenly, the rest of the Weasleys were quiet, Ginny blushing as she stared at her plate.

After a few minutes, Ginny stood, inviting the girls to come to her room. They silently followed her from the table and up the stairs to her room. The twins stood in front of Ginny's bed looking at her uncomfortably. Joining hands, the two raised their hands, magic crackling around the room.

Ginny was startled, but then her face became calm. "Thank you," she said. "I can never remember to put up wards."

The twins sighed collectively and Brianna asked, "Estella, what happened to you? You're so different than you were at school!"

The red-haired girl tugged her right sleeve down, although it moved right back up. "I—I don't know what happened," Ginny replied, not looking at the twins. "To—Icyth—Someone told me that Mum had my memories altered."

Brianna and Samantha gasped, coming to sit by their friend. "Stel," Samantha said softly, "do you know what they took from you? What do you remember?"

Ginny looked down at the floor, closing her eyes. She shuddered, her fists clenching, and the twins frowned at each other over her. Samantha noticed a tear drip onto Ginny's robe and put her arm around Ginny after a moment. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't think that it might hurt you to remember."

"It doesn't," Ginny replied shortly, her voice barely above a whisper. Pulling her left hand away from Brianna's, she rolled up her right sleeve with a jerk. Icythan looked up at the twins, hissing a greeting.

"A serpent?" Brianna asked with a frown. "What's that got to do with your memories?"

"I got him on vacation," Ginny said, another tear running down her cheek. "I don't remember how I got him, or anything, because something happened just after I got him and now I don't remember anything about serpents. He's had to tell me everything that I used to know before I got him. I had to entirely follow his instructions to save him and the bitemates, and I couldn't do anything on my own. I can't remember, Brie; I can't remember!"

Her tears began to fall in earnest, and the twins awkwardly put their arms around her. "It's okay, Ginny," they tried to reassure her. "You can get it back or learn it again."

Ginny shook her head. "I don't remember very much about first year, and I completely forgot that Tom wasn't Voldemort!"

Both twins jumped at the sound of the Dark Lord's name, but Samantha frowned. "How, if you completely forgot that, can you remember it now then?" she asked.

Ginny smiled. "Tom is still alive," she told them happily. Instantly, her entire body shuddered and she gasped in pain, bursting into tears.

"Estella, are you all right?" Brianna asked urgently. "What's wrong? And how did you find out about him? Where is he now? Have you seen him?"

 _Tell them nothing,_ Tom ordered Ginny angrily, furious with her for disclosing his existance to the Charleston twins. _Nothing, Ginevra._

Ginny sobbed when she heard him, knowing that he was very displeased with her. She knew that he called her Ginevra as a scolding. _Please, Tom, don't hurt me,_ she begged him as her head ached from his furious expression of anger. _Please. I won't say anything to them._

 _You had better not_ , he snapped harshly.

Closing her mouth, Ginny did not reply to any more of the twins' questions. Samantha sighed impatiently. "Stel, did he threaten you?" she asked softly. "If he did, tell us, and we'll quit asking."

"No," sobbed Ginny. "But I can't tell you anything. P—please d—don't ask me."

Brianna and Samantha frowned at each other, but said nothing. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and voices called, "Ginny, it's us! Can we come in?"

Ginny sniffled and nodded, and Samantha called, "Come in!"

Fred and George bounded into the room, slamming the door behind them. They looked up as the wards reset, magic crackling. "Woah," they said together, turning to look at Ginny and the Charlestons. Seeing their sister's tears, Fred demanded, "What's happened to Ginny? What have you two done to her?"

"No," Ginny protested, putting her hand up and stopping her brothers. "It's not them. I was just complaining about Mum and her Memory Charms."

"Oh." Fred and George look at each other. "That."

"About that," George continued, "do you know anything that Ginny should remember but doesn't? That you can help her with, I mean?"

Brianna shook her head. "It would be easier for her to simply acquire the memories by having the charms taken off," she replied. "But they're much too strong to be taken off by us. These are specially made by the healers, I think."

The twins sighed. "We want the Ginny that will curse us if we say something she doesn't like back," George explained to Brianna and Samantha.

"Yeah," agreed Fred. "This new Ginny that agrees with or tells out everything Mum or Ron says or asks her is boring."

The girls laughed, but Ginny bit her lip. "Boys," she said, "didn't Mum teach you to be good?"

Fred and George shrugged. "Yes, but not to the point where we don't have any fun or opinions," Fred replied. "Come on, Ginny. Letting Ron always have his way isn't good for anyone: us or him."

Ginny sniggered and nodded. "That's true."

"So," Brianna interrupted the Weasleys, "Ginny's told us before about your joke items? She said that you had some new ideas and were trying to come up with more."

The boys nodded, and Samantha continued, "We were brainstorming, and we came up with a couple ideas that might be of interest."

Fred grinned delightedly, looking first at his twin and then at Ginny. "What have you got?" he asked the Charlestons, sinking down into one of the chairs against the wall.

The girls smiled. "Did you know that Muggle girls paint their fingernails?" Brianna asked, and the boys looked stunned, asking, "Huh?" Samantha laughed. "They put stuff called fingernail polish on their fingernails, and it colours them. I guess they do it for decoration. But what if we had a polish that caused flames to spout from under the fingernails? Harmless flame, of course."

"Oooh," said Ginny, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes," George began, but Fred interrupted him. "Of course. We couldn't let students have flame-shooting polish if it hurt people."

Brianna and Samantha agreed, grinning. "But there's all sorts of things you could do with that," Brianna added. "You could change the colour of the flame to match the colour of the polish. You could even do an iridescent colour that shoots a rainbow of flames!"

Ginny grinned excitedly, and asked, "Did you have another idea as well?"

"Yeah, do tell!" the boys said, leaning forward.

"We—we've been...trying to become animagi," Brianna said with a sigh, making Ginny and her brothers stare at the two of them. "We haven't managed it yet, but we're working on it. But we thought, for those who aren't capable of becoming animagi, it would be cool if there was a treat or something that would temporarily turn them into some kind of animal."

Fred and George sat back in their chairs, looking at each other carefully, their eyes twinkling. "We've never tried something like that before," George said with a grin.

"But we'll give it a go, of course," Fred told the girls. "What animal should we start with?"

"Something strange," Ginny suggested.

"Like a rhinocerous," Samantha clarified.

"That'd be too dangerous in a dorm or common room," Fred replied, elbowing his twin who seemed to like the idea.

Brianna bit her lip, muttering, "Jackal, giraffe, zebra, monkey—"

Fred's eyes lit up. "Monkey!" he said, snapping his fingers. "That would be amazing!"

George nodded, then added, "Kangeroo, too. Both of those would most likely do very well."

"Good," Brianna said with a smile. "We were hoping that we could put a few ideas out there. We'll let you know if we come up with any others—or we could make one ourselves and test it on you two."

"Just try it," George taunted the Charlestons, and Brianna and Samantha smirked at each other.

"We accept your challenge," Brianna told the boys.

They looked at each other, and Fred jumped up. "Well, come on, Fred," he said to George. "Let's go get started." The boys hurried off, and the girls turned to Ginny.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Samantha squealed, throwing herself back onto the bed. "So...what's our idea?"

"I have no idea," Ginny sighed. Then her face lit up. "We could go ask Mum if she'd let us fly in the paddock by ourselves. The boys never let me fly with them, and I don't want them to fly with us."

"Of course not," Brianna agreed, pulling Samantha up off the bed and interrupting her daydreaming. "Come on, Sam. Let's go ask Mrs. Weasley if we can fly."

Samantha scowled. "We can fly without her leave," she replied pointedly. "And don't call me Sam."

Rolling her eyes, Brianna replied, "I have to call you something, and Sam is the most logical name."

"Find something else, then," Samantha retorted flatly. "Something illogical if need be."

"Fine," sighed her twin. "How 'bout Mantha?"

"No!" said Samantha in horror. "Get a life, Brie!"

Giggling at her cousins, Ginny told Samantha, "We'll find something decent to address you as. Something good. Now let's go see about flying."

The three girls went downstairs to find Mrs. Weasley tidying up the kitchen. "Mum," Ginny began, going up to Molly and standing at her side, "may the girls and I take the boys' brooms out to the paddock and fly for a little while?"

Molly turned and looked at the three of them. "Are you girls fliers?" she asked the twins. They nodded, and Molly continued to Ginny, "You know the rules, Ginny. And please don't crash the brooms, and don't hurt yourselves, and—"

"Yes, ma'am," chorused the twins, effectively cutting Molly off as they herded Ginny out the door. "I can't believe how easy that was," Brianna commented, and Ginny shrugged.

"She couldn't exactly tell me not to when you were there—and had your own brooms," Ginny added with a smirk. "But we'll have to be careful. My brothers will be upset if they see us flying without them, and I don't want them to know that I can fly. They don't know because I've never flown with them."

"We'll ward the paddock so they don't notice us," the twins reassured her as they headed toward the broomshed. Ginny selected a broom and lifted it out of the shed, walking toward the paddock. She noticed, with slight embarrassment, that her broom was ages behind her friends'.

The twins said nothing about it, however, for which Ginny was grateful. When they arrived in the paddock, Samantha asked, "How high do we need to make the ward? How high of a playing field do you want?"

Ginny shrugged and Brianna said, "At least forty feet high. And we need it to make us invisible to the rest of the world, but leave the paddock visible. Oh, and we should make it keep others away."

"Soundproof," Ginny reminded them, and the girls nodded.

The twins grabbed each other's hands, putting up the ward together. "There," Brianna said as the ward crackled into place over their heads. "That should be good. Ready?"

The twins mounted their brooms and took off, soaring into the air. Ginny followed them immediately, flying after them. They flew together, until Brianna said, "Hey, let's play Follow the Leader! You wanna lead, Stel?"

"No thanks," Ginny replied. "You or Samantha can lead."

The two dark-haired girls looked at each other carefully and Samantha shrugged. "Eat my dust!" she said with a smirk and flew off. Ginny laughed, and she and Brianna chased after her.

Samantha led them round and round, then, having gathered great speed, flew up near the top of the twins' ward. Once the three of them were flying in a straight line across the paddock, Samantha rolled her broom, streaking downward, her hair and robe blowing in the wind. Ginny whooped and followed her, pulling out of her spinning dive just before she reached the ground. Brianna was hovering there, waiting for her.

"How did you already get here?" Ginny demanded in disappointment.

"She's fast, isn't she?" Samantha said proudly. "She's better at flying than I am."

Ginny smiled at her friends. "You're both too good. Come, let's toss around the ball." She flew across the paddock, barely skimming the ground and picking up the ball that was sitting on the stones. "Catch," she called to the twins, throwing the ball in their direction.

Samantha moved quickly, putting her hand out and pawing the ball over to her twin. The three girls practised passing the ball back and forth for several minutes, flying around and up and down the paddock. Then Brianna, who was higher up in the paddock, hollered, "Fred and George are coming! Shall we let them in?"

A frown crossed Ginny's face, but she pressed her lips together and nodded. The twins landed their brooms, then raised their hands, dropping the ward. They giggled together as the boys came into the paddock, holding their brooms. Fred and George stopped, looking carefully at the three girls.

"Um, what's going on?" Fred asked them. "Ginny, were you _flying_?"

"Yes," Ginny replied without changing her facial expression. "Quite fast, too."

George frowned. "No," he said, shaking his head. "I don't believe that. You can't possible fly what we call fast."

Brianna frowned at the boys, then glanced at Ginny. "Do you want to fly with them?" she whispered to Ginny, and a slow smirk spread across the red-haired girl's face.

"Sure," she replied, then turned to Fred and George. "Do you want to fly with us?" she asked them.

They looked at each other and nodded, jumping as magic crackled, announcing that Brianna and Samantha had put their ward back up. "What is that for?" they asked.

"Soundproof—"

"Invisibility—"

"Notice-Me-Not—"

"Ward," the two chorused together. "Our family taught us wards," added Brianna. "They're good to know. This one is fairly strong, but we'd be stronger with Cherea or Ginny." She looked over at Ginny, who had taken off and was rising toward the top of the ward, which they had set a bit higher.

George shrugged. "She's not too bad," he said. "But can she catch?"

Brianna gave him a condescending smile, then asked, "She can. But can you catch, Georgie?" She kicked off and flew away, leaving him sputtering.

Fred elbowed his twin. "Well?" he said. "Go after her. Don't let her diss you like that!" George was off after Brianna, who was off on a wild ride across the paddock, diving and spinning and rising and weaving quickly to avoid him. Fred, Samantha, and Ginny stayed back, watching the two chase each other.

Brianna was weaving on the far end, swerving to avoid George as he came at her. She managed to elude his grasp and made him scowl and grit his teeth as he took up the chase again. Brianna giggled the entire time she flew across the paddock, knocking Fred upside the head on the way.

George cornered the dark-haired girl in one corner of the paddock, both of them hovering and staring intently at each other. "Come get me," she hissed at him, eyes sparkling with excitement. He darted at her and she dived for the open space to get away from him, but he moved too quickly and the two collided.

A splinter of wood from a broom hit the ground in front of Samantha, who stared at her twin as she fell to the ground with a scream. George, still up on a broom, blinked and descended very quickly, bouncing on the ground before getting his balance. "Are you okay?" he asked Brianna worriedly.

The girl groaned, kneeling on the ground. Samantha dashed to her twin's side and put a hand on her shoulder. "Brie?" she asked, glaring at Fred and George so they would stay back. "Brie, did you break any bones?"

"How should I know?" moaned Brianna, struggling to her feet. "I'm not a medi-wizard! I think I only got the wind knocked out of me. Oh, and my broom's gone. Ooops."

"No, it's not," Fred said, pointing to his twin.

Secure in George's hand was Brianna's Nimbus 2001. "I—I grabbed it when my broom splintered and you fell," George admitted. "I'm sorry that I knocked you off your broom. I usually let the bludgers do that."

Brianna grinned. "Usually, I'd retaliate with a curse, but I know that you didn't mean to. Ugh," she said, wrinkling her nose and sticking out her tongue, "that sounds so weird coming from my mouth."

Fred looked at his twin's broken broom. "Mum's going to kill us," he said.

Shrugging, Brianna stepped forward and replied, "Maybe not." George held out her broom to her but she pushed his hand away, coming to stand beside him. Placing her hand over his, she muttered a spell and the broom instantly became old-looking and in need of repair, mirroring the broom that George had had earlier. "Keep this one," she told him. "It'll be fine."

"I can't do that!" protested George, as Fred raised his eyebrows and said, "Oooh, George, what a gift from the girl!"

"Hush," Brianna told Fred. "Look, George. Take it: I started the game of Catch-me-if-you-can, so just take it. All right?"

George said nothing, but held the broom closer to himself. Ginny frowned. "Then how are we going to fly together?" she asked them.

Samantha shrugged. "There were more than three brooms in the shed," she said. "Perhaps you could use one of the others, then?"

Fred dashed off to the broomshed and came back, another broom in his hand. "Come on, George," he said, smacking his brother on the back. Let's play." He grabbed the ball in one hand and kicked off from the ground, rising into the air.

"Pass it here!" Ginny shouted to him, holding out both hands as she flew behind Samantha.

"No!" Brianna hollered from several feet away. "Throw it to me!"

Fred looked at the two, then grinned and threw it between them. Brianna got there an instant before Ginny, stealing the ball off of her fingertips. "Don't let her do that to you, Gin!" howled George. "Get her—I mean, it!"

Ginny flew after her friend, determination in her heart. Without hesitation, she smashed into Brianna sideways, snatching the ball from her hands and throwing it to George. The two boys stared at her. "Ginny, how did you get so good?" Fred asked her after a few more minutes of play. "We never let you play with us when we were younger."

Nodding, Ginny replied, "Of course not. I've been taking you boys' brooms out in turn almost every night since I was six years old. And I've taught myself a lot, including how to heal bruises, scratches, and cuts."

"What about breaks?" George reminded her. "Do you have any idea what you could have done to yourself out here?"

Their sister shrugged. "You didn't let me play with you," she told the boys pointedly. "Otherwise I wouldn't have had to. But I'm not going to stop now."

"But, Ginny, you can play with us now?" Fred protested. "Come on!"

"But I don't want Ron to know," Ginny persisted, catching the ball and tossing it to Samantha.

"You really don't like him, do you?" Brianna said to her thoughtfully.

Ginny sighed. "He's my brother, but he's a brat and I don't want him to know anything more about me than the bare minimum," she stated flatly. "And I want to make sure he stays that way."

 _Well, then, Ginny Love,_ Tom said to her, _you'll have to remove his memory of his parents' telling him that you're adopted._

 _Go away, Tom,_ Ginny snapped sharply. _You're angry with me, remember?_

Tom did not say another word except for: _You will meet me here in the paddock tonight, Ginevra._

Ginny promised she would, once again afraid to contradict him.

* * *

That night, when Ginny was sure that the twins were asleep on the floor, she got up and stole over to her wardrobe, pulling on a robe and wrapping her cloak around her shoulders. She stepped over the twins' blankets, being very careful not to step on them. She placed her hand on the doorknob, and a voice made her jump in shock. "Estella, where are you going?"

Ginny looked back to see both twins sitting up, wide awake and wrapped in their blankets. "Stel, are you going to meet Tom?" Brianna asked, looking carefully at her cousin.

Feeling Tom's irritation, Ginny bit her lip, fighting back tears. "Please, girls, just go to sleep. I'll be back in a few minutes," she said softly.

"Can we come with you?" Samantha asked. "Is he upset that you told us?"

"Please," Ginny whispered, sniffling as a tear ran down her cheek. "I don't want to talk about it. I just—I have to go. I'll come back soon." She hurriedly left the room and went down the stairs, letting herself out the back door.

Tears ran down Ginny's face as she ran toward the paddock, stumbling a little when her tears blinded her. _Tom,_ she begged as she hurried toward their meeting place, _please don't hurt me. I didn't mean to tell them: it was an accident._ A sob escaped her as one of her memories hit her full force, bringing back the terror of her first year.

"No," she gasped. She didn't want to remember that.

Stumbling into the paddock, she saw Tom standing with his back to her, on the other side of the paddock. "Tom?" she whispered in fright. "Oh, Tom—" Ginny couldn't go on, trembling as she waited for him to speak to her.

He turned around, looking at her carefully before walking up to her. Another sob escaped her, and she looked at the ground, any minute expecting pain for her punishment. "Ginny Love," he said softly, raising her face by cupping her chin in his hand, "I'm sorry that I frightened you so, and I apologize for becoming angry with you. I shouldn't have acted so coldly toward you."

She timidly ventured to look at his face, but almost immediately downcast her eyes again. "I—I was wrong to tell them," she said, her voice catching on a sob. "I didn't know it was wrong when I did it. I—I thought I was sharing a happy thought with them. I didn't mean to upset you. I thought you would hurt me when I came here." Ginny pulled away from Tom, covering her face with her hands and crying bitterly.

"Ginny," he said softly, reaching out his hand and taking her by the wrist, "I'll tell you what I told you a while ago: I would never hurt you over something so small."

"All—all I can re—remember is you—you hurting me be—because I wouldn't consent to spy on my family and t—tell you all about it," Ginny gasped, trying to catch her breath. "P—please, Tom—"

Tom knelt down and looked into her eyes. "Ginny, that was not me," he explained softly. "That was my cousin who hurt you so badly. I would never use that Curse on you, Ginny Love."

Ginny sniffled. "I couldn't remember," she whispered, and Tom nodded.

"Come here," he murmured, drawing her into his arms. "The same girls who followed you out here tonight to make sure that you would be all right are the same girls who know the entire story of me and my cousin. They can help you by telling you back many of the things that you had learned about me since we became friends."

"All right," Ginny said, her voice muffled in Tom's robe.

Tom lifted his voice and called, "Brianna, Samantha, present yourselves now!"

Shamefacedly, the two came forward, standing before him, both silent in awe. Neither of them was sure what to say to their cousin's friend. "I've seen you through Ginny's eyes," he told them, "but now I see you in person. I commend you for staying with her through this time." He put his arm around Ginny's shoulders and gave her a half-hug.

Brianna and Samantha stepped closer together, carefully watching Tom and Ginny. "She's our cousin," Samantha said loyally.

"And our parents told us to respect her," Brianna added. "We couldn't leave her all alone after what the Weasleys, especially Mrs. Weasley, have done to her."

Tom nodded. "I do believe, Ginny," he told her, "that you need to _obliviate_ Mr. and Mrs. Weasley so that they don't remember that you know you're adopted. And you should probably also cause Ron to forget that you're his adopted sister. It will be better for you at school and at home if they don't know."

Ginny bit her lip and whispered, embarrassed, "Tom, I don't know how to do it good enough, and I'd probably get punished by Mum. That hurts: I remember that."

Brianna and Samantha glanced at each other, and Samantha said, "We'll go back inside now. We just wanted to make sure that Ginny was safe."

"Thanks," Ginny told them, cracking a smile. Once the twins were gone, she said, "Tom, I don't know how to do a Memory Charm good enough to hold, and I don't think I can sneak into their room in order to use the charm!"

"Do you want me to do it?" Tom asked her softly. "I could do it for you."

Pressing her lips together, Ginny nodded, then said, "Yes, but what if they see you? They'll be nasty about seeing me in their room."

Anger at Molly Weasley flared up in Tom again, but he mastered himself and replied, "I will not be seen. And, Ginny, if you want me to do it through you, I can do it. Was it hard before when we took the serpents to the Chamber of Secrets?"

Ginny sighed and leaned against Tom. "No," she whispered, "but, Tom, they're my Mum and Dad! You won't hurt them, will you?"

Tom nearly growled in reply, but managed to say, "No, Ginny Love. They won't feel anything."

"Oh—okay," Ginny relented, and looked up at him. He stepped back, looking directly into her eyes, and she felt his touch on her mind. "Tom?" she whispered, afraid.

"It's okay, Ginny," he told her softly as her mind receded, allowing him to take her over.

"Share magic?" Icythan hissed, and Tom made Ginny's face grin.

Tom felt Ginny's embarrassment and teased her, "Ginny Love, how can you be embarrassed if you don't even know what sharing magic is?" She didn't reply and Tom made her laugh to herself and start heading toward the house.

 _Tom?_ Ginny finally said. _Please be careful._

 _I will,_ he promised her reassuringly, suddenly apparating her into an upstairs hallway of their house. He walked toward her parents' bedroom, feeling Ginny's worry and fear. Waiting silently at the door a moment, Tom listened to hear if her parents were still awake. _No wards,_ he thought to himself in amusement, realizing that Ginny's parents would, of course, not be as cautious as the Slytherins he was used to.

Finding that Arthur and Molly were asleep, Tom cautiously opened the door, stepping into the room and leaving the door open a crack. He walked up to Molly and without hesitation, drew Ginny's wand and obliviated her mother. Then, Tom walked around the bed and raised Ginny's wand to _Obliviate_ Arthur.

Ginny suddenly sobbed in her mind, and Tom stopped. _Ginny Love, don't back out on me now,_ he told her. _It's all right._ She sobbed again, her mind not replying, and Tom finished the spell, heading out of the room. _That's done,_ he said softly to her. _It's fine now._

But she was inconsolable, sobbing in her mind and unable to respond to him. Tom allowed his magic to surround her again, shushing Icythan before he could comment. _It's all right, Ginny Love,_ he reassured her as he headed into Ron's room. Ron shifted in his sleep, and Tom froze, then silently stepped into the shadows, watching the red-haired boy very closely. A moment later, Tom stepped up to Ron's bedside and quietly obliviated him, slipping out of the room carefully.

He hurried up to Ginny's room and put up a special ward before he relinquished control of her. Ginny instantly burst into tears and threw herself down onto the bed. "What's wrong, Ginny?" he asked her in concern when he apparated into the ward.

She shook her head at him and hid her face, crying. He sat down on the bed and placed his hand on her back. "Please talk to me, Ginny," he said softly, leaning down and whispering it in her ear.

Struggling to get control of her emotions, she looked up at Tom with her tear-filled eyes. "I—I just realized h—how much d—danger I put my family in w—when I let you take me," Ginny whispered, her tears still making her voice shake. "Y—you could have d—done anything to them."

"But I didn't, Ginny," Tom told her softly, stroking her back comfortingly. "I want to keep you safe, but I wouldn't hurt them."

Ginny closed her eyes and a tear dripped off of her eyelashes. "Thank you," she whispered finally and Tom squeezed her shoulder. "Tom, where are the girls?" she asked him. "Brianna and Samantha?"

"They never came inside," Tom replied to her. "They stayed outside and went for a walk so they would be around if you needed help. They never came inside like they said they would."

"And you didn't say anything to them about it?" Ginny asked.

Tom shook his head. "Nope," he said with a small grin. "They wanted to help you, and I think that's a good thing. And by the way, they're on their way up here right now, so you might want to get ready for bed so that they don't find you with your tearstreaked face."

Ginny nodded and sat up. "Then you should leave," she said to him.

"All right," he replied, slowly putting his arms around her and giving her a hug. "Goodnight, Ginny."

"Goodnight, Tom," she answered, squeezing him as she looked over his shoulder. The door opened and the two of them sprang apart, Tom's wand already in his hand.

Brianna and Samantha stood in the doorway, looking awkward for a moment, then came in and shut the door softly behind them. "Riddle," Brianna said, "go away. This is a girls' slumber party."

Tom grinned. "Whatcha gonna do? Paint your nails?" he teased them.

All three girls gave him strange looks and he shrugged, apparating out of the room. The twins turned to Ginny, and she held up her hands helplessly. "I can't help it," she told them.

"Ginny, he's aeons older than you!" Samantha said sharply, making her twin giggle. "I don't care how young he looks! You should leave him alone, and he should leave you alone."

"But Sam—ah, Samantha," Brianna quickly amended, "he's adorable, and super smart—you can tell that just by looking at him—and—"

"Stop!" Ginny said sharply, glaring at the two of them. "He's not my boyfriend! He's like my older brother, or something! And don't bother him. His cousin grew up in the Muggle World, and that's why Tom knows so much about Muggles."

The twins shrugged and pulled off their outer robes, showing their nightclothes underneath. Crawling into bed, Brianna said, "Just be careful, Ginny. He's not the only one who wants to protect you."

Ginny smiled. "Thanks, girls," she told them, then curled up under her blankets and went to sleep.

In the next few days, Ginny and the girls didn't see much of Fred and George, for they were closeted away in their room. Brianna and Samantha doubled down to finish their project, knowing that the Weasley twins were working hard on theirs.

Ginny helped a little, but she mostly stood back and watched the girls work on theirs. Two days before their stay was supposed to be over, Brianna and Samantha came to Ginny, grinning.

"Ginny," Samantha told her, "try this. It's hilarious." She held out a small piece of candy to her cousin, saying, "Go ahead and try it. We've already tested it ourselves."

Ginny popped it into her mouth—and instantly turned into a fluffy, black squirrel! She scampered over to Brianna and ran right up her robes, making her gasp and freeze in place. Ginny settled on her cousin's shoulder, chattering away. Samantha grinned and gently lifted the squirrel, placing her on the bed.

The twins sat down, laughing as the squirrel ran around and around on the bed, hiding under the covers at one point. Suddenly, the door opened and Fred and George came in. "Did you catch a squirrel?" George said in surprise. "What—"

Without a sound, Ginny rapidly turned back into herself, lying on the bed laughing. "Hey," she greeted them, giggling. "That was fun! You try it!"

Brianna handed them each pieces, and the two of them looked at them carefully, then turned to Ginny. "Is this what they gave you?" Fred asked her, and Ginny nodded. The boys popped the candy into their mouths, both quickly transforming into chipmunks.

Ginny laughed, falling backwards onto the bed. "So this does chipmunks and squirrels?" she asked her cousins.

"It does any kind of rodent, I think," Brianna answered.

"Except rats," Samantha replied. "Can't do that."

One of the chipmunks nodded and the other one tittered and scampered over to Ginny, who picked it up and set it on the bed. "Your black stripe is adorable," she told him with a grin.

The chipmunk snapped at her finger, and Ginny yelped and jumped back, making the first chipmunk titter excitedly. Suddenly, Fred and George appeared, laughing at Ginny. "Frightened you, didn't we, Gin?" George teased her, and Fred added, "Never knew that chipmunks were so frightening, did you?"

"So how long does it normally last?" Fred asked the Charleston girls.

Brianna glanced at her twin and replied, "About three minutes. That's what we tried for, although some of them can last for five minutes or longer, and some of them last for nearly one minute."

Fred and George nodded, impressed. "That's wicked," George said. "Ours only stay for about a minute. And Fred got a headache when we were charming them."

"Were you doing them wandlessly?" Samantha asked them quickly. "Don't use your own magic. You have to harness the magic around you and use that. Otherwise you hurt yourself."

Brianna nodded and added, "Our cousin Cherea says that it kills brain cells because they can't conduct the magical power, or something like that. I suppose it makes them explode and that's why you get a headache."

Ginny burst into giggles and rolled on the bed, howling with laughter. "Careful, Fred. You'll blow your brains out!" She buried her face in the sheets and laughed hysterically.

Samantha frowned. "Ginny, that's not funny," she said sharply. "It's completely possible to do that when using wandless magic." Ginny just stared, and Brianna put her arm around her cousin. "It's okay," she said. "You didn't know."

The boys came over to Ginny, frowning. "What else do you know about wandless magic?" Fred asked the Charleston twins, pulling Ginny away from them and putting his arm around her.

"Tons," Brianna replied. "We grew up with it: it's the first magic Mum and Dad ever taught us. We use it out of Hogwarts because it can't be traced, of course."

Ginny frowned at her brothers. "That's wrong," she told the two sets of twins primly. "Stop it, Ginny," George told his sister. "You've known for ages how we do things during the summer. I'm not about to stop now because Mum dragged you off to St. Mungo's and made you another Percy!"

She glared at him and smacked his face, making Fred laugh. George blinked, then hugged Ginny slightly, wincing a little. "Ow," he said. "Glad you're back, Gin."

She continued glaring at him, and Tom finally told her, _Ginny, stop glaring at him. He's only missing the real you that the St. Mungo's people hid from them. Now tell him that Percy is not the prim and proper prefect they think he is._

"Percy is not the perfect child you all think he is," Ginny told her brothers seriously. "He disguises himself well for Mum's sake."

"Says who?" Fred asked with a snort. "He hasn't done one shady thing in his whole life."

Ginny smirked as Tom reminded her of what her brother had done. "Perhaps you don't pay attention," she told the twins. "Or perhaps Percy is so good at what he does, that no one realizes it. I have seen him break rules before: I'm sure you have, although you might not have known it."

The girls shrugged, and Brianna asked Fred and George, "Have you two finished your project?"

The two of them looked at each other and shrugged. "It usually takes us four to eight months to get one of our tricks perfected," George replied. "So we won't have ours done til sometime after school starts."

Samantha nodded, her eyes sparkling playfully. "You're so slow, children!" she told the boys, making Brianna laugh.

"We'll show you," Fred promised her. "Just you wait." And the two boys hurried out of the room.


	8. Dementors

Two nights later, the day before they would go to The Leaky Cauldron to meet Harry and Hermione, Brianna dashed out of the bathroom, her eyes wide. Running into Ginny's room and slamming the door, she gasped, "Ginny, there's a kangeroo hopping around in the bathroom!"

Ginny had been trying to get ready for bed. "What?" she asked in surprise.

The door burst open again and Samantha dashed in, a paste running out of her mouth. "Brie, Brie, don't use the toothpaste! _It's not toothpaste!_ "

Ginny sat down and watched the twins jabber excitedly. "I tried to brush my teeth and as soon as I tasted the toothpaste, I turned into a kangeroo!" Samantha exclaimed. "It's ridiculous!"

"Yeah?" Brianna retorted. "Those boys are going to get it from us!"

"Yeah!" Samantha agreed loudly, wiping her mouth on her sleeve and doing a Cleaning Spell. "At least I wasn't a kangeroo for too long."

Ginny giggled, then yawned and reached for her blanket. "Bedtime," she told them sleepily. "You can tell Mum if you want, but she'll just yell at Fred and George. It won't help."

"Oh, we're not upset at them," Brianna replied. "We're just going to prank them at school. And by the way, Ginny, our mum is coming to pick us up early tomorrow morning. We won't be going to Diagon Alley with you. Mum's already picked up our supplies."

"All right," Ginny said with another yawn. "Mum doesn't know, does she? What do you think she'll say when you leave so quickly?"

Brianna and Samantha just looked at each other, grinning and shrugging. "She'll probably be glad that we're leaving," Samantha told Ginny, hopping under her blankets.

Brianna frowned. "You're still hopping, Samantha. Are you sure you're fully human again?"

Samantha whacked her sister in the face with a pillow, then curled up and went to sleep.

* * *

Molly stared in surprise at the dark-haired woman standing on the edge of her Floo in the Burrow. "Charleston," Molly said with a deep frown.

"Call me Thurst," Naridia said easily. "There are too many Charlestons to go by our surname. I have come to pick up my daughters."

Brianna and Samantha walked down the stairs together, smiling properly at their mother. Fred and George followed them with the girls' trunks. "Goodbye, Mrs. Weasley," the girls chorused. "Thank you for letting us stay here."

Ron frowned at them and asked, "Why did you come through the Floo?"

"How did you know the words?" Ginny asked.

Naridia looked at Ginny, her eyes darkening with a strong emotion. Turning back to Molly, the girls' mum hissed, "What have you done to Ginny?" Molly's jaw tensed, but she did not reply. "Perhaps I should have asked, 'What have you done to Ginny _again_?'" Naridia said coldly.

Again, Molly did not reply, this time seeming confused, and Naridia turned to Ginny, taking the girl's hand in hers. "To answer your question, Ginny," she began, her voice veiling a threat, " _everyone_ knows the Burrow, where it is and how to get to it, but most people would even not _think_ of coming here."

Fred and George gave each other careful looks, and set down the girls' trunks. "Here you are, Ma'am," they said, both bowing to the girls' mother teasingly. She simply snapped her fingers and both of them stood up straight immediately.

"I do thank you for so gracefully accepting Brianna and Samantha during their stay here," she told them. "And don't bow to me—I don't believe I have a house-elf like you."

Ginny burst into giggles, and Naridia motioned to her daughters. "Come along, girls," she said, handing each of them Floo powder out of her pocket. Both of them took their trunks and disappeared into the flames, calling out, "The Cavern!" Naridia looked back at Ginny one more time before stepping into the flames and following the twins.

* * *

 _That was wonderful, Ginny,_ Tom told her. _Naridia certainly knows how to shake up your mother. But now you should probably let the boys know that you_ Obliviated _your mum, dad, and Ron so they don't destroy your plans. Did you see how she didn't remember what she did to you_ 'again'? _That was our Memory Charm on her!_

Ginny smiled, heading to her room. _Thank you so much for your help, Tom,_ she replied. _I'll make sure to tell them. Oh, and would you keep Icythan for me for the first few days of school?_

 _Certainly,_ Tom answered. _He'll enjoy being with his bitemates._

* * *

Ginny hauled her trunk onto the train, making sure to stick it where it wouldn't shift. Her brother and his friends had already been settled by the time she'd gotten away from Molly's hugging. She jumped up into the compartment after her trunk and realized that Ron and his friends were there.

Harry suddenly snapped his mouth shut and looked at her carefully. Hermione began, "Um, Ginny, we want to talk...could you go to another compartment?"

That wasn't too hard to deal with, but Ron wasn't so decent. "Yeah, go away, Ginny."

Frowning, Ginny opened the door and moved on through the train. She would find the Charleston twins and her other friends. Phooey on Ron and his friends!

Opening the door to a compartment well ahead in the train, Ginny spotted the twins with Megan and Gauge. "Ginny!" both of them greeted her, standing. "Come sit with us."

Megan and Gauge seemed a bit awkward, neither greeting Ginny. A blonde head appeared around the side of another seat and Ginny understood. "Well, if it isn't another ginger! Charleston, if you want to sit with her, sit somewhere else."

"There are no empty compartments," Ginny said calmly, "and my cousins asked me to sit here."

Draco looked at her carefully, eyebrow raised. "Your line was cut out of our tree long ago," he informed Ginny in his smirkified way. "Others may keep company with you, but—"

"I am not a Weasley, Mr. Malfoy," Estella hissed, her hand nearly going for her wand. "I told you that before. Did the girls not explain the story to you?"

"Oh, yes," drawled Draco. "I do recall some nonsense about your being stolen at birth—"

"Draco!" howled Brianna. "That's not what I told you!"

Laughing, Draco replied, "I do know that story: one of my Avery cousins told it to me a while ago. You know that the Averys are Ravenclaws and Slytherins, don't you?"

Ginny nodded and sat down between Megan and Brianna, setting her bag on her lap.

"Thank your father for me," Estella began, "for causing our fun last year. I truly enjoyed being a tool of the Dark Lord and controlling Salazar Slytherin's basilisk. Otherwise, I would not know my true self."

Draco's eyes sparked, then sparkled. "Parkington," he said, making everyone in the compartment sit up straight, "if you now see our cause, I commend you. But do understand that our distance will be kept at school."

"Of course," Estella replied with a nod. "But you will be aware of what goes on, will you not?"

"Nothing," Draco said, his eyes hard and cold, "nothing goes on in Slytherin that I do not know about."

The other girls seemed to agree with him, so Ginny said nothing, although she was reminded of Harry and Ron going to Slytherin under Polyjuice. _I wonder if he knows about that?_ Ginny thought with a smile.

"So, Ginny," Brianna began, "the girls and I were talking before you came, and we want you to come to our First Night Party tonight."

 _Ooh, Ginny, that will be fun,_ Tom said in her mind. _Slytherin First Night Parties are always fun._

"But do not," Draco said with a smirk, "bring anymore red hair into our House!"

Megan scowled at him, shaking her red hair over her shoulders. "Shut it, Malfoy," she snapped. "My hair is natural!"

Draco laughed and Ginny drew her wand, changing her hair black just as the door opened. Fred and George hurried into the compartment, slamming the door and locking it with their wands.

"Hello, Weasel," Estella greeted them, receiving frowns from the others in her compartment.

"Hush!" said the-one-who-was-George without turning around. "They'll hear you!"

"You're Gryffindors," Estella taunted them. "Go face your troubles."

Fred finally turned around and saw the five girls and three boys in the compartment. "Um, we threw dung bombs into the prefect compartment, and Angelina is after us!"

Estella sniggered. "Hex her."

Fred shook his head. "Can't. She can block anything we can send at her."

"Helpless Gryff," sighed Megan, making the twins frown.

"Hey! Could you go out there and persuade her that we went the other way?" George asked Megan. "We don't know where Ginny is, and you've got red hair..."

Guage scowled as Malfoy looked on, still smirking. "And what will you do, Weasel?"

The two Weasley boys reached into their robe pockets and pulled out some of their inventions. "We'll give each of you a couple of these. We made them this summer." They walked toward the girls and Estella stood, heading for the door.

"Megan," Estella said, "go ahead, and I'll ward the door when you get back."

Grinning, Megan stepped outside into the next compartment and returned after a few minutes. "Done," she said, "they're headed away from us."

"Excellant," Estella replied with a grin, Megan taking her seat once again. "Now, boys, you were saying?"

"Ah, we haven't tested these on very many people," began George, getting his twin's elbow in his side, "so we'll give these to you." He walked up to Estella and held out the pieces to her. "You're the only one with a Gryffindor Crest anyway."

"Yeah, why are you here with them?" Fred asked Estella with a frown.

Estella looked at him a minute, her thoughts racing. _Tom, what do I tell them?_ She gasped to him.

 _Playing,_ Tom responded. _Tell them you were playing._

"We were showing off our Transfig skills," she parrotted to her brothers, changing her crest to Slytherin. "Forgot that when you burst in the door."

Both twins snorted in laughter, then continued to hand out their tricks. "Here," Fred said to Megan. "Our last dung bomb—for being a ginger." They hurried from the compartment, Megan angrily throwing a hex that splattered on the compartment door at them.

The boys and most of the girls laughed at Megan as she glared at the closed door. "How did they get out without dropping the ward?" Guage asked curiously.

"I made the ward to keep Angelina out, not the twins in," Estella replied. "To protect, not detain."

Gauge stood and walked toward the door. Estella raised her hand and collapsed the ward since it was no longer needed. "I only wanted to know how strong it was, " Guage protested, and Estella shrugged.

"Cautious, Parkington?" Draco drawled.

"I had a friend first year who told me never to tell binding words or allow anyone to analyze the ward if at all possible," Estella replied, grinning at Guage. "But it was only a four point—"

Shouts came from Crabbe and Goyle as the train lights went out. "It's stopping," Samantha gasped. "I wonder what's happening?"

Brianna looked out the window. "It's completely dark out there!" she gasped. "I can't see a thing!"

"What's happening?" Ginny gasped, wrapping her cloak more securely around herself as the temperature dropped.

No one replied, looking around, their faces drawn and pale. Suddenly, the door opened, and everyone stared at the dark thing in the doorway.

Her friends began to whimper, but Estella didn't notice. She could hear Him. _"Stubborness is soon corrected in my followers, Estella._ Crucio! _Do you want your family to die?_ Crucio! _"_

"I will!" the scream burst from her. "Please, please, I will—oh!" Estella couldn't pull herself from the memory, feeling the pain she'd gone through.

No one noticed the thing turn and leave: all were busy with their own fears. Someone knelt by Estella, who had suddenly found herself on the floor. "Here," he said to her, helping her sit up and handing her a piece of chocolate. "It's gone now. Eat this: it'll make you feel better. And here. Give some to the others."

She struggled to shove her memories away and gasped out, "Who are you? What was that?"

"I'm Remus Lupin, the new DADA professor," he replied quietly. "That was a dementor; they're searching the train for Sirius Black. I have to continue through the train. Eat the chocolate: it will help you." He stood and left the compartment.

"Parkington," said Malfoy's tired voice, "pass the chocolate."

Estella carefully stood on shaky legs, then took some over to him and the other two boys. Then she went to Guage, who was sitting with her arms wrapped around herself, muttering to herself.

"Guage?" she asked softly. "It's over; they're gone. Here." Guage looked up, fear in her eyes, then nodded carefully.

"Thanks," she managed. "I'll help Megan in a minute."

Estella nodded, then went over to Brianna and Samantha, who were both crying. "Brie," Estella said, putting her arm around the whimpering girl, "it's okay now. The dementors are gone. You're safe here."

"You're—you're not—oh, Ginny—Estella, where am I?" she asked in confusion.

"On the Hogwarts Express," Estella replied softly. "Some dementors came through looking for Sirius Black, but they're gone now. You're all right."

A shudder came over her, and she took the chocolate from her cousin's hand. "Thanks," she said. "Can you help me with Samantha?"

Samantha was curled up on the floor, sobbing, her fists clenched. Brianna and Estella knelt on either side of her, but she didn't notice. "Sam," whispered Brianna, wiping her own tears away. "It's okay now."

The girl did not reply, wrapping her arms around herself and sobbing uncontrollably. She drew away from her twin and Estella, ignoring them.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Megan with a shudder, sucking on some chocolate.

"She has really bad memories from when we were younger," Brianna said worriedly. "We'll have to take her to the Hospital Wing."

"No!" shouted Samantha, her unfocused eyes suddenly focusing on her sister. "Don't let them hurt Mum! Tell them to go away, sister! Don't let them hurt me again!" she cringed away still more as the others watched out of curiousity.

"They're not here, Sam," Brianna said softly, her heart pounding as she worried. "They can't hurt us: it's over. They came years ago, and it's all done."

The girl whimpered as Brianna scooted over next to her and slipped an arm around her, helping her sit up against the base of the seats. "Here," Estella whispered, handing chocolate to Brianna, who offered it to Samantha.

"No!" shouted Samantha again, pushing the chocolate away. "No, I don't want to sleep!"

"It's not for that, Sam," Estella said softly, kneeling by the twins. "This will warm you up. Make you feel better. Here, take some chocolate."

Brianna helped her twin take some chocolate into her mouth and carefully made sure she didn't choke on it. "You'll feel better after a few minutes," she said, "once you warm up."

Samantha grabbed her sister's hand and held it, her eyes still wide. "I don't want to go there," she said. "No Hospital Wing!"

"Then snap out of it," sighed Estella impatiently, "and we won't have to. Do you want to be like this for the First Night Party?"

"No," Samantha said, a puzzled expression on her face. She struggled to get up and sit down on the seat.

"What is it in your past that is so bad?" Draco asked coolly. "To make her act that way?"

Brianna scowled at him. "If I ever decide to tell you, then I'll tell you," she snapped protectively.

That exchange made Estella curious, but she said nothing. Suddenly, the door burst open and Samantha jumped to her feet, brandishing her wand.

"Woah!" shouted Ron. "I just walked in the door!"

"It's a miracle you didn't walk into the door," Draco muttered with a smirk.

Ron glared at him. "What did you say, Malfoy?" he growled.

Hermione grabbed his arm as Draco repeated his words aloud, stopping Ron from jumping him. "Have you seen Ginny around?" she asked them. We wanted to make sure she's okay after those—things."

"Nope," Malfoy drawled. "No Weasels in here."

Estella leaned forward. "I saw her earlier, eating chocolate. I think Lupin was helping her."

Ron nodded, grabbing Hermione's arm to lead her away. "Thanks, whoever-you-are," he said.

Hermione was staring at Estella, who was sitting by the twins. _She knows who I am_ , thought Ginny worriedly. _She'll tell Ron and Harry!_

"You're Estella Parkington!" Hermione gasped and Estella smirked. "Ginny told me about you."

"What?" Ron said in disgust. "What would Ginny know about any certain Slytherin girl?"

Eyeing Estella nervously, Hermione shoved Ron out the door. "I'll tell you later," she told him, their voices fading away.

Samantha and Megan burst into giggles. "Poor little Mudblood," Megan laughed, holding her sides. "She doesn't know the truth at all!"

Brianna grinned. "Stel, sit at the Slytherin House table with us," she invited.

"No," protested Draco sharply.

"Yes," proclaimed Samantha in a sing-song voice. "Twins, cousins, Slytherin. Twins, cousins—"

"Hush!" Guage told her in annoyance.

Samantha stuck out her lip in a pout, but became silent. Brianna squeezed her sister's hand and said, "She doesn't have to sit by you, Draco. Come on, Stel, do so sit with us!"

Estella nodded with grin and Draco turned away from them, speaking to Crabbe and Goyle in a low voice. The twins grinned at Estella and Megan and Guage sat back down with them, quiet for the rest of the train ride.


	9. Lestrange and First Night Party

When the train arrived, Ginny stepped out onto the platform with the twins. Megan and Guage headed off, Riker catching up with and greeting them. Draco hurried off with Crabbe and Goyle.

The three black-haired girls stepped onto the covered bridge, and another girl walked up to them. "Brianna," the girl said, "can you sit at our table?" Please? Luna Lovegood and two or three other Ravenclaws have been annoying me."

"And you run to Slytherin for shelter? Estella asked, eyebrow raised.

"You run to Slytherin for shelter too," retorted Samantha.

Cherea frowned at Estella, then grinned. "Oh, hello, Estella. Are you going to sit at their house table, then?"

"Yes, I am," replied Estella with a smile, turning to see Samantha head off toward the edge of the bridge. "Samantha, what are you doing?" she gasped, hurrying ofter her.

"I just wanted to look down," Samantha replied, peeking over the edge. When she looked back at Estella, she scowled at the people walking by.

Estella looked behind her and saw Hermione flinch, hurrying to catch up with Harry and Ron. Ginny and Samantha burst out laughing, catching up with Brianna and Cherea.

Brianna turned to her twin and Estella. "Cherea's going to come with us, girls. So let's hurry and make sure we sit near the other girls."

"All right," Samantha said, skipping merrily along.

"Stop!" groaned Brianna. "Sometimes I swear you're not my twin!"

Samantha frowned and walked on the other side of Estella, between her and Cherea. "Are you okay, Sam?" Cherea asked softly. "You're acting strangely."

"I'm fine," Samantha said impatiently. "I just ran into a dementor..."

Cherea gasped. "Oh, yes, they were terrible!" she exclaimed as they paused before the Great Hall. "We had a boy and girl faint in our car."

"Let's go then," Estella said, leading the others into the Great Hall. The twins instantly flanked her, steering her directly toward the Slytherin House table. Ginny felt very strange, not heading for Gryffindor and her brothers, and was glad that the twins were there to lead her to the correct table!

The four cousins sat down, choosing their seats carefully. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were across from them, speaking with Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode, and Megan, Guage, and Reyallalie Riker were down the table a little way.

Brianna and Samantha grinned at Ginny, but didn't worry about their other cousin, whom they knew could handle herself in Slytherin circles. The dark-haired boy leaned over to Cherea and asked, "So you're a Ravenclaw? What are you doing over here at our table?"

Cherea smiled easily at him. "I'm Cherea Charleston, Brianna and Samanatha's first cousin through our fathers," she replied. "They invited me to join them and I did so."

"And who is the other girl with you?" the boy asked, eyeing Ginny as the first years filed in.

"She is our third cousin," laughed Cherea, "but the connection is lengthy to explain. Her name is Estella Parkington."

"Parkington? Any relation to Reginald and Meretta Parkington?" the black-haired boy queried curiously.

Cherea nodded. "Her parents. But she doesn't know them. Auror trouble, you know."

The boy scowled and nodded, then added, "Mum used to talk about Meretta a lot a few years ago. Apparently they were good friends back before the Parkingtons disappeared—went into hiding. Estella's mum must have been powerful in order to escape the Aurors. Her dad too, for that matter. But mum said that dad told her the other Death Eaters were wary of Reginald. I don't know why, though."

Ginny smirked when she heard him mention her dad. She had a very good idea of why the other Death Eaters would have been wary of him: she was almost certain that her dad was a Parselmouth.

"Your dad—is he still alive?" Cherea asked him, knowing very well that the boy's dad was alive.

He nodded without emotion. "I'm Theodore Nott—my father has been out of Azkaban for several years now, because of an incorrectly-done trial. I've been staying with cousins for the last few days—the Sages, you know. Not Megan's family: her uncle's family. Their oldest is starting school this year."

Megan leaned over to Theodore and Cherea and said, "Yes, he is. My first cousin, and if he's not in Slytherin, I'd just die."

Cherea sniggered and proudly displayed her yellow house crest. "The only thing you have to worry about is him being sorted to Gryffindor," she said.

"He won't be," predicted Theodore. "He's not a Gryffindor!"

The House tables fell silent as Dumbledore stood and announced the sorting. Professor McGonagall did not appear in the Hall, Professor Flitwick in charge of reading off names. He raised the list and read off the first name: "Andrewson, Amanda.

A brown-haired girl shyly stepped up to the stool and sat down, the Hat placed on her head. After a few seconds of silence, the Hat shouted, "Ravenclaw!" Once the Hat was lifted off the girl's head, she hopped down from the stool and happily walked over to her loudly cheering housemates.

Cherea smiled happily to herself, and Theodore turned to her and said, "Since you're over here, you can't cheer for your housemates. Cheer with us?"

"Of course," Cherea replied as Brandon Anders hurried off to Huflepuff.

Dirk Borian sat down on the stool, the Hat placed on his head. Without delay, the Hat proclaimed, "Slytherin!"

The Slytherin House table applauded mildly, Brianna and Samantha grinning broadly. Borian came down to the Slytherin table, smiling slightly.

"Dunsten, Frank," Professor Flitwick announced, and when the shy-looking, sandy-blonde-haired boy stepped up and sat down, the professor placed the Hat on his head.

"Candidate for Hufflepuff," sneered Draco in a carrying whisper.

Watching the boy carefully, Cherea and Estella frowned. "Nope," Cherea said. "Gryffindor. Bet you a sickle, Malfoy."

He frowned at her, then realized she was a visiting Ravenclaw and smirked. "Taken," he replied.

The Hat was silent for quite some time, but suddenly stirred and hollered, "Gryffindor!" Malfoy growled and flipped a sickle across the House table to Cherea, who shrugged and put it in her robe pocket.

Duncan Everett and Mark Kane went to Ravenclaw, and Flavius Corbin and Astoria Greengrass went to Slytherin. Michelle Kingman and Crystal Harbinger went to Hufflepuff.

Professor Flitwick lifted the scroll and said, "Lestrange, Meris."

Gasps issued from every house table, Slytherin and Ravenclaw most of all. Draco's mouth had dropped open, but he quickly snapped it shut, staring at the tall, dark-haired boy who was confidently striding toward the Sorting Hat and stool.

He sat down, one foot on the floor and the other on a rung of the stool, his right arm resting on his right knee as he surveyed the rest of the Great Hall. He looked over at the Gryffindor House table and there was a sudden comotion that the Charlestons and Estella couldn't see.

The Hat was placed on Meris Lestrange's head and it immediately screeched, "Slytherin!"

Meris, free of the Hat, stepped down from the stool and walked to the Slytherin House table. "Lestrange!" Draco called out, shoving Goyle aside, "sit here."

Meris came over and sat down. "Hello, Draco," he said easily, sliding onto the bench. "Meris Lestrange," he introduced himself, holding out his hand. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I've seen you around, but it is nice to finally meet you face to face."

Draco shook the boy's hand and replied, "The pleasure is all mine. And how are you related to Rodolphus Lestrange, my aunt's husband?"

Meris smirked at Draco. "I knew you would ask," said the dark-haired boy. "Rodolphus and Bellatrix are my uncle and aunt. Rabastan Lestrange is my father."

"Did you hear Longbottom panic?" Draco sneered with a laugh.

Meris grinned. "That's why I looked over there. I figured that I'd be able to spot him," he replied with a laugh.

The two boys paused in their conversation to welcome Corin Sage, Megan's cousin, to the House of Slytherin. Megan was falling all over herself in excitement, causing Theodore to frown at her and tell her to sit on someone else's lap.

Guage and Riker burst out laughing just as the Sorting Hat shouted, "Gryffindor!" and Dumbledore declared the sorting over and the feast begun. Several other Slytherins burst out laughing at Megan and Theodore, including Estella. Another commotion began at the Gryffindor House table, and Estella saw Neville jump up and dash out of the Great Hall, his face pale. Wondering what his problem was, she tilted her head, looking at Meris and Draco curiously.

Suddenly, the food appeared and the older Slytherins began to summon food from down the table. Brianna discretely reminded Estella that Slytherins do not say, "Please pass the..." and then summoned a roll right out of the Greengrass girl's hand.

The girl scowled and threw a fork down the table, knocking Brianna in the side of the head and drawing blood. Estella raised her wand, stopping the flow of blood and pulling Brianna's wand hand down when she tried to retaliate. "Estella!" hissed Brianna, "don't do that, or I'll curse you!"

Samantha hummed tunelessly and passed the fried chicken to her sister and cousins. "Eat," she told them. "We're moving out as soon as we're finished eating so we can get good seats for the Party."

Brianna and Cherea said nothing, but Estella thanked Samantha and began to eat. Malfoy looked up from his discussion and said, "The dementors came onto the train, and Potter fainted! He slipped right off the seat like this:" and he pretended to faint, sliding down and leaning against Meris, who shrugged one shoulder sharply. Draco sat up, smirking over at the Gryffindors as the Slytherins around him (including Estella and her cousins) laughed.

Estella suddenly realized that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were now in the Great Hall. Harry was helping Hermione hold Ron back from charging the Slytherin House table and steering the redhead toward a seat at Gryffindor.

The Slytherins continued laughing at the three, but settled down to finish eating. Samantha whispered to Estella, "Hurry up and eat so we can get to the Common Room quickly." Estella nodded without replying and continued eating.

Several minutes later, Draco and Meris stood, the Malfoy boy telling Crabbe and Goyle to get up. "But we aren't finished yet!" Crabbe protested.

"Then bring it with you," Draco replied coolly. "We are going now."

Ginny touched her wrist, wishing she hadn't left Icythan with Tom. _Oh, well,_ she thought. _I can get him from Tom later._ She stood, ready to leave, and the twins stood with her, heading to the Entrance Hall.

"I'll see you later," Cherea said and waved as she headed up the stairs toward the Ravenclaw Common Room. "Have fun, girls!"

"We will!" the three chorused, and turned toward the dungeons.

 _Ginny,_ Tom said, _there's a shortcut down to the dungeons. It's—_

 _No!_ Ginny protested. _I have had quite enough of passages for a long while._

Tom was annoyed, but replied, _All right. I'll just send him back to you._

Almost immediately, Ginny heard something hiss, "Missstress! Missstress!"

 _Tom!_ said Ginny in annoyance, _I can't keep him with me! Someone will see him and I'll have to explain!_ She bent down and picked up the serpent, hiding it in her sleeve.

The twins gave her strange glances, but she said nothing, having seen Megan, Guage, and Riker watching her pick up the serpent. _Tom!_ she said in annoyance again, berating him, but he did not reply.

Megan and Guage, however, fell in step with Estella and the twins. "Essstella," Megan hissed in Parseltongue, taking her by the arm and pulling her away from the twins, "that serpent called you itsss missstress! You never told usss that you had a serpent-familiar!"

"I didn't until I went to Egypt," Ginny sighed back. "You can talk to him later: I don't want anyone to know too soon."

Icythan poked his head out of Ginny's sleeve. "Missstress is ashamed," he hissed to Megan before Ginny pushed him back under her sleeve. "Her littermatesss did thisss to her; she isss no longer proud of being a ssspeaker or having me on her wrissst."

"Littermatesss?" Megan hissed sharply. "The Weasleysss did thisss to you?"

Ginny looked over at Megan and sighed, "I don't know what happened, but Icythan saysss they did, and I know I wasss in St. Mungo'sss, ssso anything could have happened, I suppose."

Megan stopped and Ginny walked past her without pausing, the redhead hurrying to catch up. "You went to St. Mungo'sss? Why?"

"Because one of my brothers told mum that I wasss having nightmares, and she and dad shipped me off to St. Mungo'sss," Ginny replied. "I'm okay, though."

"Estella, are you sure?" Megan asked with a frown. "I don't trussst those Weasleysss."

"Essspecially after the twinsss singled you out because you're a ginger?" Estella teased tiredly.

Megan scowled. "Oh, hush," she growled with a grin. "You know what? You should come up to my room before the party beginsss. I have something to show you that I think you'll like."

Ginny nodded and followed Megan to her room. Megan raised her hands and warded the door shut, placing a Silencing Ward on the room.

"Stand there," Megan told Ginny, pointing toward the middle of the room. She walked over between her bed and Guage's bed, hissing, "Sisha! Missstress isss here with two _tsez_!"

A serpant slithered out from under Megan's bed right up to Megan, who reached down, allowing the serpent to slither onto her arm and coil around her waist. "Two?" hissed Sisha. "I only sssee one."

Icythan poked his head out of Ginny's sleeve and hissed, "There are two: Missstress and I!"

Slightly horrified, Ginny stared at Megan and her serpent, then smiled. "You are a beautiful serpent," she told the serpent softly. "I've been here before, but never ssseen you."

"And I have seen you and heard you ssspeak," Sisha replied, "but Missstress sssaid not to ssspeak to you."

Megan smiled slightly, then explained, "I wasn't sure about you, so I told Sisha not to present herself."

Ginny nodded in understanding, then went over to the bed, sitting down and letting Icythan slither onto the bed. Megan brought her black serpent with the silver and green diamonds down its back over to the bed, allowing her to slither over to Icythan.

Sisha bit the smaller serpent, who coiled around Sisha and bit her back. Tom stopped Ginny from stopping them, telling her that that was how serpents and snakes acquainted themselves.

"Bitemate!" hissed Sisha happily, looking over at Ginny. Puzzled, she turned to Megan. "Isss the other missstress a bitemate?"

Megan frowned, glancing at Ginny. "Yes," she finally replied. "Essstella isss a bitemate."

Sisha slithered over to Ginny and bit her happily. "Two _tsez_ and two bitematesss," the serpent proclaimed joyfully.

"Yes," Megan agreed, "but now we mussst go out for the party." She stood and Sisha slithered onto the floor, going back under the bed.

Just then, magic crackled against the wards on the room and Ginny snatched up her basilisk, placing him on her wrist. "Stay," she hissed, pushing her sleeve down. "Remain there."

Making sure that the serpents were hidden, Megan turned around and dropped the wards on the room, allowing Guage to poke her head in. "Hey, they're starting out here," she informed them. "Lauren has already beaten Rishka at Quit."

Ginny laughed and Guage asked her, "Have you ever played Quit before?" Ginny shook her head and Megan sighed.

"Stand still," she said, walking behind Ginny and placing her arms above Ginny's, not touching them.

A sudden rush of magic ran through Ginny straight up from the ground toward Megan's hands. Ginny gasped in surprise and jumped away from Megan, rubbing her arms and watching the two girls.

"Estella, you have to push the foreign magic away from you," Guage said, drawing and releasing magic. It visibly trailed from her hands, and she insisted, "You know, Estella, it can make you sick if you don't release that magic."

With a shudder, Ginny pushed the magic away from her, making the room shake. "Is that all it is?" Ginny asked. "You drawing magic and someone else releases it?"

"Yes," Megan replied, "but the one pulling magic continues pulling and doesn't wait for you to release it, and you have to release faster than they can pull. Here, pull through me."

Megan turned around and Ginny cautiously placed her arms above Megan's. Ginny began to pull, and Megan released flawlessly. "Faster," Megan ordered. "This is boring."

Ginny frowned in concentration and pulled strongly, continuing without stopping. Guage watched carefully, then said, "Stop." Ginny stopped and Megan released the magic back to the Elementals.

"I win," laughed Megan. "But you need more practise."

Shrugging, Guage grabbed both girls and yanked them out of the room, kicking the door shut. "Let's go already!" she said impatiently. "We're missing it!"

Megan, Guage, and Ginny joined the twins and Riker in the Common Room. Two boys were standing in the center of the room, frowning in concentration as they pulled and released, pain on the face of the one who was releasing.

"How long have they been at it?" Megan demanded of Samantha, seeing Draco watching with a smirk.

"About seven minutes," interrupted Guage. "That's why I came to get you. Draco put them up to it. He wanted to know if Lestrange was stronger than Sage. Draco wants to challenge the one who wins, and Nott—Theodore Nott—was looking for you, Estella. He wanted to challenge you."

"Great," sighed Ginny as Lestrange jerked violently and Sage collapsed soundlessly to the ground.

"Bummer," said Megan.

Lestrange grinned and pushed his hair back out of his eyes. "Almost beat," Lestrange laughed. "Take you on in a minute, Malfoy."

Draco smiled almost naturally. "Call me Draco."

"Call me Bob," mimicked Samantha, making everyone look at her. Brianna turned red as Crabbe, Goyle, and others laughed at Samantha.

"Missing a few pieces upstairs, are you, Charleston?" sneered Pansy.

Estella scowled at her. "She was badly effected by the dementors when they boarded the train," she snapped at her cousin. "She refused to go to the Hospital Wing."

"Parkington!" Theodore Nott interrupted. "I challenge you to a game of Quit."

Megan and Guage leaned forward and whispered to her, "Always release, or you'll end up unconscious if you don't say Quit."

Estella stepped forward without looking at them. Nott stepped forward, placing his arms above Ginny's. Suddenly, magic flowed up through her again, and Ginny stood silent.

"Release, stupid!" shouted Riker. "Or do you know how?"

 _Release it at her,_ Tom said. _Do it now, Ginny, or you'll be unconscious!_

Ginny obeyed, opening her hands and flinging off the magic, hitting Riker and knocking her over the back of her chair. She giggled, continuing to release as the twins stared at her.

Theo frowned in concentration, drawing fast and slow, little and much. He varied it, and Ginny struggled to release, her arms tingling. "Not much longer," Sage commented, having been helped by Megan. "She's almost finished."

Ginny bit her lip as she struggled to release. Tom came (C) and advised her, _Keep your hands open and let it flow straight through you back into the ground._ She obeyed, and Nott sighed, the other Slytherins cheering as the two went on.

Nott drew as much magic as he could in a few seconds and Ginny's eyes closed as she fell silently to the ground. Nott stepped back, relieved.

Brianna and Samantha dashed forward. "That shouldn't have been enough to knock her out," growled Brianna at Theodore.

Icythan slithered out of Ginny's sleeve, coiling up on her chest. "Missstress hasss new memoriesss," he informed them, knowing what had happened in her mind.

Megan stared at him as the other Slytherins gasped in surprise. She stepped forward to go to Icythan, but the Common Room door banged open and she stopped.

A dark-haired boy wearing Slytherin robes dashed in, kneeling beside Estella's still body. " _Tsez_!" hissed Icythan, but Tom did not reply.

"Playing Quit brought down her Memory Charms," Tom told the ones around. "It must have been some strong memories to knock her out."

"Memory Charms?" asked an older student with brown hair. "Why?"

Tom glanced at him. "Don't you know who Estella Parkington is generally known as today, Nott?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

Draco smirked. "Ginevra Molly Weasley," he said, spitting out the words.

Tom nodded. "Molly did it to her because of the way she treated her—the Weasley boys," he explained to the rest.

The twins frowned at all the angry Slytherins around. "She is our cousin," Brianna snapped at them. "We stuck by her after the healers had screwed around with her memories—when she didn't remember half of what happened last year. Her mum—Mrs. Weasley, I mean—did this to her, and she came to us."

Blaise Zambini frowned at the twins. "She's a Gryffindor," he said in disapproval. "She shouldn't be here."

Tom fixed Blaise with a glare. "She shouldn't be in Gryffindor," he growled at the boy. "Her family suppressed her true character. It is only here that she—Estella—may be her true self. Gryffindor stifles her, but here—here she can take off the Colour-Changing Charms and be herself."

Estella stirred, lying on the floor, and Tom turned his attention back to her. "Estella?" he asked softly.

Her eyes flew open and she sat straight up. "Theo," she said, "I want a rematch."

Theo grinned and replied, "Perhaps later tonight."

Riker groaned and stood up, staggering back to her chair. "Parkington," she breathed, "I owe you a curse."

"Noted," Estella said with a grin, putting a hand to her head. She looked up at Tom, feeling strange. "What are you—?"

Tom shook his head slightly at her and said, "Are you going to be all right now?"

"Yes," Estella replied, pushing away Tom's hand and jumping to her feet. "Thanks," she said softly, and Tom turned and left the Common Room.

"Who was that?" asked Lauren, frowning after Tom. "I don't recall seeing him around before."

"He's a friend I made a couple years ago," she replied nonchalantly. "Not too many people know him."

Draco drew everyone's attention and drawled, "Are you ready, Lestrange, or do you need another interruption?"

Lestrange laughed and lifted his hands, spreading his fingers and letting magic drip from them. "Bring it on, Malfoy—Draco. Who's pulling?"

"I am," Draco replied coolly, standing and walking over to Meris. "Ready?" he placed his arms over the younger boy's arms.

"Of course," Meris replied, grinning.

Samantha shrugged, not paying attention to the game going on. "I challenge...Guinevere to Quit."

Astoria Greengrass frowned. "Which twin are you?"

"Samantha," replied the twin who'd challenged Guage.

"Then I challenge Brianna," Astoria said, her face very serious.

Without hesitation, Brianna accepted and bounced over to the Greengrass girl, ready to play. Draco and Meris' game ended, Meris having said Quit.

Samantha and Brianna began their games, Brianna pulled and Guage releasing, Astoria pulling and Samantha releasing. Alvin grinned at his little brother. "I challenge Theo," he said, grinning.

"No!" groaned the younger Nott. "You always win!"

"Maybe he won't," Megan said, a twinkle in her eye.

Estella stepped closer to Theo, who frowned at her. "If you release," she whispered, "let the magic flow in a continuous arc through you back into the ground. Don't try to stop it."

Theo nodded curtly, heading over to his brother. Lauren came over to Megan and Ginny. "Estella, what brought you over to Slytherin?"

Estella smiled. "The twins did," she replied. "They persuaded Megan, Guage, and Reya to allow me to come stay in the dorm overnight. We did that a couple times, actually."

"Riker doesn't appreciate your coming here," Megan told Estella. "She won't tell you because she's afraid of what you'd do to her."

"I don't mean to annoy her, but she's just so annoyable," Ginny sighed. "She's fine right now, though."

Lauren smiled finally. "I knew you were going to come," she told Estella. "Draco pointed you out to me. He's my cousin, you know. I knew your story, but I didn't know what you looked like"

Estella nodded, then glanced over at Astoria, who'd just attempted to curse Brianna out of anger and been cursed in return. Brianna grinned and called out, "She wouldn't say Quit even though I clearly won! What shall we do with her?"

"Let her sleep it off," Alvin said, shoving his little brother away, unable to beat him. "If you're too stubborn to say Quit, you deserve to be unconscious."

Brianna drew her wand and began to levitate Astoria up the girls' dorm stairs. "Stel, could you come set up wards around her bed?" Brianna asked over her shoulder.

"Coming!" Estella called, standing and hurrying up the stairs after her cousin. Once they were in the room, she asked Brianna, "What wards and why am I setting them?"

"Most Slytherins sleep with wards around their beds," Brianna replied, putting Astoria down on the bed. "It needs to keep anyone else out, but let sounds through. Make it see-through."

Estella nodded, waving Brianna away from the bed. Raising her hands, she set the wards around the bed. "There," she said, putting her hands down. "That should be good."

Brianna grinned as Tom congratulated Ginny on her twelve-point ward. _What_? she asked him, and he reassured her that she'd done the wards correctly.

 _Well, that's good,_ she said to Tom, hurrying down the stairs after Brianna. Tom laughed to himself as a whip-like sound occured from behind her. Turning slightly, Ginny barely missed a spell that flew past her.

Brianna screamed, and Ginny heard her fall down the stairs. Looking up, Ginny saw Rishka, who burst out laughing. "You cursed my cousin!" Ginny shouted at her. "Can't you aim?"

"More than half of the Slytherins are your cousins, Parkington," drawled Draco, undisturbed. "Including me."

"You're a freak, Malfoy," Ginny called back sarcastically. "I'm definitely not your cousin. Rishka, if you think you can curse me, come do it!" Ginny ran down the stairs, dodging another curse and drawing her wand.

Ginny threw a hex up the stairs, then dashed out of the stairwell, levitating Brianna over to her sister. "Rishka cursed her," Ginny gasped. "I don't know what it was."

Samantha clenched her fists, magic crackling in her hands. "I'll curse her!" she snapped.

"No, you—" Ginny blocked a curse from the doorway and Lauren dashed over to Estella and the twins, kneeling by Brianna.

"I know this curse," Lauren said, drawing her wand. "And the counter-curse."

Alvin groaned. "Of course you do, you little brain," he told her. She frowned at him and muttered the counter-curse, enervating Brianna.

Rishka walked into the main room, laughing at Estella. Turning to one of the other prefects, she said, "How about a game of Search and Curse?"

"No," snapped another prefect, who Ginny recognized as Rishka's boyfriend from the previous year. "We set the time for the game on Friday night. We will play Search and Curse Friday night."

"Let's play Truth or Dare," Pansy said with a look in Estella's direction.

 _Oh, Ginny,_ Tom said, _do be careful! They'll put you under Veritaserum, and you'll spill half of your guts to them. Ginny, you'll embarrass yourself!_

 _I always manage to do that,_ she replied with a smirk as the Slytherins around cheered for a game of Truth or Dare.

Draco looked over at Ginny and said, "How about our little Gryff goes first? Mmm..."

"I'll ask," Millicent volunteered, hopping up from a corner chair and coming on over. "Truth or Dare, Parkington."

"Truth," Estella replied smoothly, reassuring Tom that everything would be all right.

Millicent's dark eyes sparkled. "Did you bring the Veritaserum, Bole?"

Bole lifted his feet off the couch and put them on the floor. Reaching into his left pocket, he pulled out a green vial and tossed it to Millie. "Careful," he warned her. "It's expensive."

"So, Parkington," Millie began, popping the vial open and handing it to her, "tip it up with your finger over the opening and then lick it off of your finger."

Estella took the vial and obeyed, licking her finger. _Tom,_ she complained, _it tasted like water. Is this real?_

Tom snorted. _Yes, Ginny Love. It's flowing through you, ready to make you tell all your secrets._

"Parkington," Millie mused, getting her attention again, "How many times have you been down to our Common Room and what have you done those times?"

"Three times last year and one time this year," Ginny replied, making several Slytherins gasp and frown at her. "The first time, the twins invited me and I told them about who I really am—even the twins didn't know—their parents didn't tell them even though we've been friends for a while."

Ginny looked over at Megan. "We talked about the Dueling Club, and I learned that—that—" Ginny's face turned red, but the Veritaserum wouldn't let her be quiet.

 _Parseltongue,_ Tom snapped quickly.

"Megan likesss Draco," Ginny hissed, grinning at the looks on the "dumb onesss'" faces. "And," she continued in English, noting Megan's disturbed look, "Riker yelled and brought Rishka to our dorm, and I cursed her through the door—destroyed the door." Ginny giggled. "That was fun."

"The second time," Ginny continued, "I was told that Hermione had finished her Polyjuice Potion and that I should get to the Slytherin Common Room immediately. So I did, and Harry and Ron came down, disguised as Crabbe and Goyle."

Draco whirled around and stared at them in shock. "What?" he shouted. "That can't be!"

Millie held up the vial, and Pansy asked, "Bole, how old is that Veritaserum?"

"Knockturn, about three days ago," Bole replied.

Estella continued, "You remember, don't you, Draco? You nearly ran into me in the dungeons, and I asked you if you'd thought I was the Heir. And the twins came up and hurried me off. We watched you from the dorm stairs, Megan and Guage joining us."

 _Ginny, don't say it,_ Tom warned her, but Ginny smirked and continued.

"Megan was annoyed because Draco took her box of whatever-it-was and put it in his pocket," Estella told them, and Draco raised an eyebrow.

"I knew someone took it," Draco said with a frown. "You sneaked into my dorm room!"

Corin burst out laughing and Theodore looked helplessly at Alvin, who shrugged. Megan gave her cousin a sharp look and Corin shut up, his eyes still twinkling as he looked back at Estella.

"When their Polyjuice was wearing off, they ran out of the Common Room," Ginny said. "You remember that, don't you, Draco?"

The blonde boy frowned at her and did not reply.

"And then, of course," Estella continued, "the twins invited me to the First Night Party because I was in the compartment." She frowned. "Ron and Hermione kicked me out of their compartment because Harry wanted to talk to them about Sirius Black!"

The entire Slytherin Common Room became deathly silent and Estella shrugged. "That's everything. I'm finished." She looked around awkwardly, then glanced at the twins.

Bole looked over at Draco and said, "So, what about Sirius Black, Draco? What have your parents said about him and his escape?"

Draco smirked. "My father says that Black has never been right in the head," he announced, and in Ginny's mind, Tom agreed with him. "Fudge says that he saw Black laughing maniacally when he was arrested."

"Who cares what Fudge says?" Guage said with a frown. "How did Black escape and what has led him out?"

"The Ministry thinks that he's after Potter," Megan added.

"But Harry doesn't know why Sirius would want to kill him," Ginny said. "The Weasleys wouldn't tell him the entire story."

Everyone gave Estella strange looks, then turned back to Draco. "How could he escape? After being there thirteen years?" Draco asked. "It would take a lot of power to both survive the dementors and escape them."

Lauren sat down on the couch next to Draco and interjected, "Dementors patrol every twelve hours, sometimes more. Almost no light comes into the corridors there, and you can't do magic there." She and Alvin both shivered, and Theodore gave them a strange look.

"Outside the gates you can use wandless magic, but it's really hard," Alvin added. "But apparition is impossible because the wards won't let the magical signature of the prisoners through."

"Did you test the wards?" Riker teased the two.

Lauren's blue eyes narrowed. "I did the research."

Alvin frowned at Riker and said, "I visited Azkaban once when I was younger, to see my dad before his trial. Thank goodness he was released."

Meris Lestrange regarded Alvin carefully. "My father is in Azkaban, and doesn't even know me—I was almost three months old when father was incarcerated."

Estella felt sorry for him, and Tom scolded her, _Ginny, don't pity him! He won't want you to and the others will think you're soft._

 _I am,_ Ginny replied. _Softer than they are._

 _That's not what I meant,_ Tom said. _I meant soft in the head. Not hard-hearted._

Estella frowned. _Tom, you're ridiculous._

Tom was put out. _Ginny, tell him you feel sorry for him and see what happens._

 _I'm not telling that to a Lestrange,_ Ginny snapped at Tom. _Stop it._

"Mum told me the stories of the First Wizarding War," Meris told the others. "And I hate Aurors."

"Oooh's" ran through the Common Room and several other repeated, "Hate Aurors."

"Estella, you lost your real parents to the Aurors," said Gregory Goyle. "What do you say?" Everyone looked at her to see her reaction.

"My parents are free," Estella proclaimed proudly, a smile on her face. "They escaped the Aurors. But the Aurors kept me from knowing my family." Ginny scowled. "I don't appreciate—"

"I hate Aurors!" yelled Samantha, her eyes blazing. "Death to them!"

Brianna's face turned red, and she hissed, "Samantha, snap out of it! Goodness!"

Meris looked at the twins thoughtfully. "Are you two identical?" he asked.

"Identical?" grumbled Brianna. "I'm not even related to her!" Megan and Guage snickered, but Samantha scowled at her sister, who amended her words. "We had major difficulties with Aurors when we were young—they were after our parents. But Samantha was more affected than I was."

"What happened?" Pansy asked, and Brianna scowled at her.

"I won't tell Draco and I won't tell you," Brianna answered sharply. "Perhaps one day you will know."

Rishka rolled her eyes and went back upstairs, her ex-boyfriend scowling after her. Lestrange nodded at the twins and Estella, approving of their reply to his question.

The Party began to break up, students heading up to their rooms or out of the Common Room. Estella headed for the door, and Draco called, "Estella, aren't you going to stay with your cousins tonight?"

Estella paused at the door, looking at Draco. "No one took Neville any supper," she explained, "and he doesn't know where the kitchens are."

Samantha frowned. "You would choose him over us?" she snapped at her cousin.

With a shrug, Estella walked out of the Common Room. Upon arriving in the Hogwarts kitchen, Ginny was accosted by the house-elves, all offering her food. "Um," Ginny began, "I'll just have an apple. Cored, please."

And in an instant, with the house-elf's magic, it was done. "Anything else, Miss?" it asked her.

"I need a plate from the feast for my friend," Ginny requested, and almost before she finished her request, the elf was gone and back with steaming-hot food.

"Will that be all? Anything to drink?" asked the elf.

"Yes. Tea, elf; now leave us," ordered an authoritative voice. With a squeak, the elf hurriedly brought tea for the two of them and left.

Turning around, Ginny saw Meris sitting at a table by himself. "You did mean it," Meris said in a nuetral tone.

Ginny chuckled, drawing her hair over her shoulder. "Yes," she admitted softly. "No one else would have remembered."

"Are you sure you don't belong in Hufflepuff?" he asked her, and she laughed.

"Are you sure you don't belong in St. Mungo's?" Estella retorted.

Meris laughed with her and replied, "No, I could never stay where my father put the Longbottoms."

Frowning thoughtfully, Ginny sighed, "I have never heard that entire story—about the torture of Neville's parents. Would you tell it to me?"

"Not now," Meris told her. "Eventually, maybe." He gave her a strange look, then said, "You must be very careful what you say in our Common Room, Estella. It is not wise."

Estella nodded and sat down by him, taking a drink of her tea and gasping as she nearly burned her tongue. "Yes," she said wryly, "I think I scandalized the twins, especially Samantha."

Meris smirked. "Do you know what memory it is the two of them have? The ones that make Samantha act so hostile?"

"No," she replied with a shrug, "but—"

Suddenly, two red-haired boys bounded into the kitchen, gasping. "Think we lost him?"

"Yeah," the other twin replied. Then the two noticed the two Slytherins. "Wait. Slytherins are never here."

"He came to see if I would come," Ginny explained to them. "And thank you for giving me a Kanga Caramel. I really appreciated it."

Fred and George burst out laughing. "When did you try it?" asked George.

"I didn't," Ginny replied. "I knew what it was."

The boys stared, and then both of them jumped as if they'd been burned. "Estella?" Fred asked incredulously, glancing at Lestrange.

Meris smirked at them. "I already know who she is," he told Fred and George. "She is your adopted sister—a better example from your family."

"Actually," Fred told Meris, "Ginny's the black sheep of the family. She's always been the wicked one, and no wonder! She's from a wicked family!"

Meris burst out laughing and Ginny gasped, "Fred, how could you?"

Fred shrugged and Meris told Ginny, "That makes two of us from wicked families."

Ginny laughed, but George replied, "Your family's not wicked, Lestrange; it's evil."

Meris snickered. "Why, thank you," he said proudly.

"That wasn't a compliment, Lestrange," George said with a frown. "You scared Longbottom out of his wits! He's still up in his dorm room, shaking away."

"I've got food to take him; that's why I came," Ginny explained, indicating the plate beside her.

Still laughing in amusement, the dark-haired boy said, "She announced in the middle of our Common Room that she was coming here to get food for him. I came down to see if she really would."

Frowning, Fred asked, "Who put you up to it?"

"Corin," Meris replied. "And she told the truth." He looked sideways at her.

"Of course I did," Ginny said, pretending to be indignant. She folded her hands and placed them on the table. "Mum taught me to always tell the truth."

The twins sniggered. "But what about the rock and the window? And the serpent? And—"

"Would you have rather gotten broomed?" Ginny asked coolly.

"What serpent?" Meris asked.

Suddenly, Ginny transfigured part of her apple into a mouse. It dashed away from her, Icythan chasing it down. "That one," she said pointedly.

Meris smiled in appreciation. "I've heard that your father is a Parselmouth, and I wondered if you were as well."

"I am," Ginny said softly, swallowing hard as she remembered her dream.

The twins were beginning to become uncomfortable, and one of them said, "Ginny, you should probably come back to our Common Room now. And where are the house-elves?"

Immediately two of them apparated in with a pop and began asking the twins what they wanted. Seeing Lestrange still there, they squeaked and hurried to get away.

"I told them to leave us," Meris said.

"Lestrange," George began, "if anything happens to Ginny when she's Estella..."

"Just remember," warned Fred, and George joined him, "that she's our sister."

Meris smirked. "I feel so threatened, Weasley," he said sarcastically. "In Slytherin, everyone gets what he deserves almost immediately. Whatever she does while she's there will predict what happens to her there."

Estella called for an elf. She handed her teacup to him and without her saying a word, it popped back and forth with a hot cup of tea. "Thanks," Ginny said, and dismissed the elf.

"Estella," Meris warned her as she stood to leave with her brothers, "Samantha was quite upset by your declaration when you left. Brianna was trying to calm her, but I'm not at all sure how much she was able to help her twin."

"Did something happen to them?" George asked, a worried look on his face.

"They ran into dementors on the train," Ginny explained, picking up her tea and the plate of food. "They were affected fairly badly. Samantha hasn't been acting right since then—she refused to go to the Hospital Wing."

The twins nodded, then said, "Gin, you have to put the charm back on your hair. You can't go up to Gryffindor like that."

"Are you ashamed of being seen with her?" Meris sneered.

"No, but—oh, Merlin, Ginny, your House crest—the Gryffindors don't know about Ginny being Estella except for Percy and us," Fred explained.

"Yeah," George added, "and Ron would ask us why we're with a girl who isn't our sister. And we would never hear the end of it. But her dorm mates would be scandalized: Fred and I are used to scandal."

Ginny set her food down and drew her wand, turning her crest back to Gryffindor and changing her hair back to red. Meris stood. "We'll be looking for you, Estella," he said without glancing at her. He walked out of the kitchen and disappeared down the halls.

Fred sighed, "Gin, you have the strangest friends. How'd you pick him out?"

"Missstress has strange _tsez_ [meaning Tom] too," Icythan hissed, making her giggle and put him back on her wrist.

"I hadn't spoken two words to him until I came here and found him at the table," Ginny replied, picking up her food again. "Honest."

The three of them hurried down the halls toward the Gryffindor Common Room together. As they came to a cross-way of hallways, Tom said, _Ginny, take them through the secret passage._

Ginny grinned. "Come this way," she said, turning to the left as the boys went straight ahead. They stopped and started to protest, but Ginny added, "Passage."

Immediately, the boys followed her. She pointed out the tapestry to them and held it aside for them to enter. "Go on," she said, shooing them in. "It ends by the corridor just before the portrait hole."

"How did you know about this?" the boys asked her.

Ginny grinned, pronouncing, " **Lumos** ," and lighting up the room. "Tom told me," she explained to her brothers. "He's taught me a lot about the passageways of Hogwarts—he led me through many of them."

Fred shook his head, jumping over a rock in the passage. "Ginny," he told her, "you're crazy."

"Why thank you," Ginny replied, coming up to the wall, which opened as they walked up to it.

"Wicked!" the twins said softly when they came out of the passage. They headed into the next corridor, telling the Fat Lady the password. Ginny followed them into the Gryffindor Common Room, finding Percy pacing in front of the fireplace, Miskenet trying to calm him.

Percy turned and saw the three other redheads. "There you are, Ginny. Where have you been?" he demanded. "You weren't at the feast and Madam Pomfrey said you hadn't been in the Hospital Wing, and Miskenet couldn't find you in the dorm! Where have you been?"

Ginny watched him, frowning. "Why are you here? I thought you were a Slytherin."

The other four in the room gaped at her, and Percy snapped, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, sorry," Ginny groaned, setting down the plate and cup and rubbing her forehead. "My memories hurt. I feel like someone mixed up my brains and dumped them back into my head."

"Ginny?" Percy asked quietly, "you're different."

She looked up at him with a smirk. "Always have been," she told him, then bounded across the Common Room, throwing herself into his arms. "I've got my memories back, Percy," she whispered in his ear. "I remember now."

Percy was so excited that he picked her up and swung her around. "Thank goodness," Percy breathed, setting her down and looking directly into her eyes. "How did it happen?" he asked her.

"I was playing a game of magic with my friends and I got knocked unconscious when my memories came back," Ginny replied.

"Were you in the—Miskenet, you may leave now," Percy interrupted himself, and she flounced up the girls' dorm stairs with a pout. "Ginny, were you in the Slytherin Common Room?" he asked her.

Ginny pressed her lips together and nodded as the twins came over. "Were you unconscious in the middle of their Common Room?" Percy gasped. "What did they do?"

"They said I lost," Ginny replied with a smile. "But I was protected by my friends, and nothing else happened to me."

Percy turned to the twins and demanded, "Were you two down in the dungeons too?"

"No!" Fred said in surprise, sharing a look with his twin. "We only met her in the kitchens: that's where we were."

"I went to get food from the kitchens for Neville," Ginny explained quickly, pointing out the plate of food she'd brought with her. "I saw him run out of the Great Hall, so I figured that he hadn't gotten anything to eat."

Percy nodded, and Fred interjected, "We found her talking to—"

"Shhh!" Ginny shushed them, her eyes darkening. "Yes, I was sitting at the Slytherin House table during the feast. I was with my friends—they invited me to do so when we were on the train. I rode in their compartment because Ron and Hermione told me I couldn't sit with them. Not that I minded moving over with my friends at all."

The twins realized that their sister didn't want Percy to know that she'd been talking to Meris Lestrange in the kitchen. George picked up the plate Ginny had brought and announced, "We'll take this up to Neville. Goodnight—and thanks for the excitement, Ginny."

She grinned and waved. Percy looked at his sister carefully. "Ginny," he said softly, "how much time do you expect to stay in Slytherin and not be found out?"

"They know," Ginny replied, grabbing Percy's wrist as he was about to exclaim something. "Draco and Lauren told them. They all know that I'm a Parselmouth, and most of them are okay with my coming down to their Common Room. I was playing games with them, and it was fun!"

Percy blinked, then nodded. "Well, just be careful, Ginny. We want to make sure that you stay safe."

Ginny smiled at her brother. "I will," she said, giving him a hug, picking up her teacup, and heading up to her dorm room.

* * *

Once she was up in her room, she allowed Icythan to slither down her arm onto her bed. Looking around, she breathed a sigh of relief, finding her dorm mates to be asleep.

Icythan looked at his misstress and hissed, "Missstress mussst ressst ssso that she can be ready for tomorrow."

"Oh," Ginny said, recalling something. _Tom, can we repair the Chamber tomorrow night? I don't want it to be broken up for long._

Tom smiled to himself. _Yes, Ginny,_ he replied. _I'll be ready tomorrow night._

 _Thank you, Tom,_ she said, crawling into bed. _I'm glad you know how to get things ready._

 _You're welcome, Ginny,_ he told her. _I'll come get you in your room because you won't be able to come through the regular entrance because it's blocked._

Ginny laid her head on the pillow, closing her eyes and smiling as Icythan slithered up close to her to keep warm. _See you then, Tom,_ she said, and drifted off to sleep.


	10. Dorm Mate Mayhem

Ginny woke up to her Waking Charm the next morning, the blankets rustling her and muttering, "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

"Fine," Ginny moaned, sitting up and shoving the blankets away. "I'm up!" She blinked sleepily and realized that there was no one else in the room. Ginny checked the time, muttering something about not wanting to be late.

She jumped out of bed, took two steps, and was jerked into the air by her ankle, a yell coming from her. "You idiots!" Ginny shrieked in fury.

Tom, trying not to laugh, said, _Ginny,_ Liberacorpus _will bring you down, but be careful that you don't land on your head._

 _I can't do it,_ Ginny moaned. _I can't see because my robe's in front of my face, and—ahhh!_

"Got you," Tom said, grinning down into her face as he caught her. "You make quite a spectacle of yourself, Ginny Love."

"It wasn't me," Ginny breathed, straightening her robe. "It was my stupid dorm mates who laid this trap for me."

"I'm sorry," he told her, laughing.

Ginny smacked him across the chest and retorted, "You are not, Tom Riddle!"

He continued laughing and squeezed her gently. "So I'm not," he admitted.

"I'll get them," Ginny promised herself and Tom as footsteps sounded in the hallway outside her room. Both of them froze, listening.

The doorknob to her dorm room turned and Tom stepped back from Ginny, disapparating immediately. The door opened and Hermione stepped into the room. "Ginny, are you all right?" she asked in concern. "I heard you holler."

Ginny, annoyed with Hermione, replied, "I'm fine. Someone put a hex beside my bed and I jumped onto it. So I got strung up by my ankle. But I'm fine now."

Hermione nodded sympathetically. "Hurry and get ready, and you can walk to breakfast with me."

"All right," Ginny replied, hurrying to her wardrobe. She pulled out her favourite light blue robe and put it on, rolling her sleeves down. Suddenly, she froze. "Icythan," she hissed, her back to Hermione, "do not show yourssself to the _hisssusss_!"

"Yesss, Missstress," Icythan replied as Ginny came over to the bed. She picked up her serpent, sliding him up her sleeve as she made her bed.

"Ready," Ginny said, gathering her hair into a ponytail. She jumped into her shoes, grabbing her bookbag and running out the door after Hermione.

 _Have fun!_ Tom told her.

Ginny snickered and Hermione gave her a strange look but said nothing. When they entered the Great Hall and Hermione led her toward Harry and Ron, Ginny hung back, not wanting to sit with them.

Percy looked up and noticed her, motioning her to come on over. Relieved, Ginny hurried over to him and sat down by him. "What's going on?" Ginny asked him with a smile.

He leaned over to her and told her, "You might want to write Bill and Charlie to tell them that you have your memories back. They would be glad to know, I think."

"Oh." Ginny stared at her plate, blushing as Percy put a piece of toast on her plate. "Does Charlie know that I didn't mean to shun him like I did?"

"I think so," Percy laughed softly. "He accused Mum and Dad of making you boring. He wasn't pleased with how you'd turned out. And I'm sorry that I walked away from you. I couldn't stand to look at the girl with whom, just a day or two before, I'd discussed special things!"

Percy shook his head. "You were an angel. Ginny, there are no angels in the Weasley family!" he insisted. "You'd lost the knack you had for upsetting Mum and Ron. That wasn't good!"

Ginny laughed. "I am no angel," she told him. "I'm a sprite—or a pixy, or something."

He nodded, standing up and getting back from the table. "Just remember to write the boys and let them know."

"All right," Ginny agreed, and Percy patted her shoulder and hurried off. Ginny scarfed down her breakfast and hurried from the table, although Ron grabbed her arm.

"What did he want, Gin?" Ron asked curiously.

Ginny jerked her arm away from him. "To talk to me," she replied coolly. "And by the way, Ron, the pax is over." She walked off without another word.

* * *

"Ms. Weasley, are you listening to me? Ms. Weasley?" The short professor frowned and walked up to Ginny's desk. "Ms. Weasley!" thundered the little man.

Ginny slowly looked up from her desk, asking, "What did you ask me, professor?"

"Are you feeling well, Ms. Weasley?" he asked her softly.

"Yes," Ginny replied after a moment, smiling at him.

He frowned again and said, "Then you'll have detention tomorrow night. You must learn to pay attention, Ms. Weasley."

Ginny nodded and picked up her quill to take notes, her dorm mates laughing at her. Annoyed, she complained to Tom about them, making him laugh as well. _Tom, it's not funny!_ she told him, giggling out loud.

"Ginevra!" Marlene exclaimed as all the Slytherins laughed, "shut up!"

"Ms. Weasley," Professor Flitwick said, sitting down at his desk, "since you want to laugh at others, you may try the Flame-Freezing Charm next." The professor conjured flames in a holder, sending it across the room to her desk.

Pulling her wand, Ginny did the charm, continuing to let the flames flicker, although they were now cold. Ginny lowered her wand, glanced at her professor, then stuck her hand directly into the flames.

Two of her dorm mates shrieked, but when Ginny pulled her arm out of the flames, there was no burn. "Well done, Ms. Weasley," Professor Flitwick told her.

"Thanks," Ginny replied with a grin. Tom was amused with her, and laughed happily. _Tom, I wasn't even laughing at her! I was laughing at_ _you_ _!_ she told him.

"All right," Professor Flitwick said, gathering attention once more. "We have a few more minutes of class and not all of you have even tried this charm yet!"

* * *

Ginny sat cross-legged on her bed and put her cloak around her. Ginny's elbow cracked against the ward on her bed as she readied herself to go down to the Chamber of Secrets.

Watching her dorm mates, Ginny waited until they were all asleep to leave her room, the ward still over her bed. Slipping into the Common Room, Ginny hurried toward the Portrait Hole, heading out down the hall.

Heading into the girls' bathroom, Ginny called to Tom, _I'm on my way down to the Chamber._ She hissed the Chamber open and opened the steps in the pipe, hurring down the steps.

When she jumped down out of the pipe, she found Tom leaning against the stone wall, regarding her with a mischievous grin. "Are you ready to begin our work?" he asked her.

"Yes," Ginny replied firmly. "Let's do it—where do we start?"

Tom laughed and stood up straight. "Ginny Love, I told you last night that I needed to come get you because the ceiling caved in a few feet from the entrance and you can't enter this way!"

Ginny's face turned red, and Tom laughed harder. "Then let's go," Ginny said, trying to keep her dignity. "Tom Riddle, stop laughing!"

Laughing, Tom walked up to Ginny and wrapped his arms around her, disapparating. They appeared on the other side of the pile of rubble, and Ginny shoved him away, stumbling back and crying, "Tom, you're a brat! Stop it!"

"Sorry," he told her without laughing, although he was still grinning. "You're fun to tease, Ginny Love. Now shall we go?"

Frowning, she pushed his outstretched hand away and followed him into the main room of the Chamber. Suddenly, she cried out in shock, clapping her hands over her mouth. "Benjy!" she gasped, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh, Tom, poor Benjy! His head!"

Ginny ran up to the body of the basilisk and knelt down beside him, putting her arm across him just below his head. She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the scales of the dead serpent. "I'm so sorry, Benjy," she said to him softly (P).

Tom quietly came over and stood there, looking down at the girl and the serpent. "He died doing his duty, Ginny," he told her. "He thought he was protecting us: he died a noble death."

"He's got blood all over him," Ginny whispered in horror, looking up at her friend. "Tom, he's got a HOLE IN HIS HEAD! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Ginny Love, we can heal him and make him whole, but we can't make him live again," Tom told her, lifting her to her feet and holding her comfortingly.

"I hate Harry," Ginny whispered, her face against Tom's robe. "I hate him!"

"Well, perhaps you can team up with Sirius Black to get rid of Potter," Tom suggested, making Ginny looked up at him in shock.

"Tom, I could never, never—" Ginny began.

Interrupting, Tom said, "I know. It was just a random thought. I wouldn't let you run around with a madman anyway."

Ginny nearly laughed aloud, but asked, "Tom, is he really mad?"

"How should I know?" Tom replied. "I didn't meet him before Azkaban and denfinitely not afterward. Everyone says he is, though."

"Tom, you're the last person to believe what everyone else says," Ginny scolded. "And the Minister says that last time—recently—that he toured the prison, Black was lucid and able to answer questions!"

Tom nodded thoughtfully. "Then whatever Sirius is up to, he knows what he's doing."

Ginny sighed, her attention turned back to the dead basilisk. "Tom, we can't leave Benjy like this," she said worriedly, pulling away from Tom.

"Well, Ginny, we could probably turn him into a stone statue to commemorate him," Tom said. "We can make him look proud and fierce, and perhaps even make him a statue of sentient stone, so that he's aware of what's going on around him."

"No," Ginny said sharply. "If he's going to be stone, he'll be stone. I want no half-alive basilisk."

"Very well," he answered with a sigh. "Come help me close the hole in his head." Tom led Ginny over to the other side of the serpent, showing her the hole. Ginny grimaced when she realized she could see straight through Benjy's skull into his mouth. Tom put his wand to the wound and motioned to Ginny to join him. " _Medico_ is the healing spell that will close the wound," he told her. "Do it with me."

Ginny came closer to Tom and Benjy, drawing her wand and holding it next to Tom's. "Same time," he said intently. "Make sure your intent is to heal. One, two, three—"

" **Medico** ," the two pronounced together, and the hole knit, forming new scales over the place where it had been. They moved their wands back and Ginny ran her hand over the new scales. "It feels right," she said, and Tom placed his hand on the basilisk's head, feeling it as well. Tom nodded in agreement, then stepped back.

"Where should the statue be put?" Ginny asked Tom, tilting her head.

"To the right of Salazar's statue," Tom replied after a moment. "We can make it look like he's about to attack whoever comes down this row of serpents. They won't see the statue until they come to the end of this passage."

Ginny nodded, grinning. "That's wonderful," she said happily.

Tom smiled slightly, then told Ginny, "Stay back for a minute. I need to bring all of the serpent up so that I can turn it into stone." He raised his wand and Ginny moved back quickly, the serpent's body lifting up out of the water on the floor. Tom coiled it close by, Ginny watching carefully. "There," he said in satisfaction, walking up to Benjy's head again.

Reaching into his pocket, Tom pulled out a flask. Lifting it inside Benjy's mouth, Tom put his hand up, and Ginny heard the sound of some sort of liquid running. "Tom?" Ginny questioned curiously, "what are you doing?"

He waited a moment, then drew back the flask filled with a whitish-yellow fluid. Turning to Ginny, he placed the cover over the flask and said, "This is basilisk venom, Ginny. Sometimes it's handy to have around. Here you go." Tom held the flask out to her.

"Tom, what use would it be?" Ginny asked him with a sigh.

Simply raising an eyebrow, Tom responded, "It has several uses. I already have a several extra flasks here in the Chamber, and I think you should have one with you."

"All right," she finally agreed and took the flask, placing it in her pocket and doing a Closing Charm on the opening so it wouldn't fall out. "Now let's turn Benjy to stone."

Tom caught Ginny's hand in his and said, "Let's do the spell together, Ginny. The intent to turn him to stone, but pliable stone so that we can move him into the shape we want." She nodded, her hands firmly gripping his hand and her wand.

Together, they began the spell, and Benjy began to change to stone, retaining his bright colours. When they were finished, Tom pulled Ginny back and moved the stone basilisk into place, the serpent glaring at the opening to the path between the other stone serpents.

Ginny tilted her head and regarded the statue carefully. "Not quite," she said, and raised her wand. She moved Benjy until he was poised to strike whoever came off of the path. "There. That should give trespassers a fright," she said triumphantly.

"You expect trespassers down here?" Tom asked with a laugh.

"There have been some, haven't there?" Ginny retorted sharply. "Harry doesn't have reason to come back, but you never know who might show up!"

"Right," said Tom solemnly. "My cousin might come back."

Ginny closed her eyes and sighed. "Tom, don't say that," she whispered. "I don't even want to think that that could be possible."

Tom frowned at her. "Ginny Love, we have to think about it," he told her sharply. "It's inevitable that he will return because he was not killed! The only question is when he will return. I think it will be fairly soon, and I think Sirius' escape from Azkaban will fascillitate events that spark the Dark Lord's return."

"You don't think it will be this year, do you?" Ginny asked worriedly, looking over at Tom.

"I don't know, Gin. I think we might have another year, but nothing is certain." Tom sighed. "My cousin and his followers are nothing if not predictably unpredictable."

"Wonderful," Ginny said, trying to hide her shiver. "Let's stick to something easier, like repairing the Chamber ceiling."

"Good idea," Tom said, showing Ginny various places that had been destroyed. "Then we can go visit with the basilisks and you can get Icythan back."

"Oh, yes," Ginny exclaimed excitedly. She quieted and added, "I've missed him from my wrist."

* * *

The next morning, Ginny woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing. "Oh, goodness," she moaned, thinking of the roosters she'd strangled first year. "I thought I'd gotten them all!"

"What are you talking about?" Marianne said with a frown. "Get up, or you'll be late for Transfiguration."

"Like you care," Ginny snapped at her, and Marlene scowled, motioning for Marianne to hurry up. "Now go away," Ginny told them, rolling over and hiding her face from them.

Ginny heard the door shut, then pushed her covers back and got out of bed. Heading for her wardrobe, she was suddenly yanked into the air by her ankle! Her shout of rage echoed through the girls' dorm, and laughter came from down the hall, as well as the sound of hurrying footsteps. _The second time! THE SECOND TIME!_ she shrieked in her mind. _I've had it with them! I'll teach them a lesson!_

The door opened and in walked a girl with brown hair. "Did someone holler?" she asked, looking around. Ginny couldn't help snickering at her and making her look up. "Oh, dear," said the girl. "I'm Romilda Vane. Are you okay? Do you need me to get a prefect?"

"Absolutely not," Ginny snapped. "Is Hermione in her dorm room?"

"No, she's already gone to breakfast—might even be at class by now," Romilda replied. "Most of everyone else is gone too. How did you get up there?"

"Uh, by magic?" Ginny replied in annoyance, feeling the blood start rushing to her head. "Look, go away so I can get down."

Romilda frowned. "How does that work?"

Ginny waved a hand at her angrily, and the girl yelped. _Tom, what did I do?_ Ginny asked him.

 _Probably hit her with one of those incentive jinxes you used last year on Granger,_ Tom replied as Romilda glanced up at Ginny, her hand reaching down to rub her leg. _Oh, definitely, Ginny Love. Now tell her to go away again._

"Now go away," Ginny demanded, swinging around upside-down. The girl hurried to get out of the room.

Tom apparated in and did the counter-jinx, catching Ginny in his arms. "Thanks, Tom," she breathed as she rested in his arms a minute, letting the blood pounding in her head drain away. He raised his wand and put up wards on the room one-handedly.

"You're welcome," he told her with a grin. "Ginny, you've got to stop them."

"I will," Ginny promised him fervently.

"Although I do enjoy catching you when you come down," he teased, and she pulled away from him, giving him a wary look and making him laugh. "Better get ready for class," he told her, preparing to disapparate. "Or Professor McGonagall will string you up—by your thumbs—in the dungeon!"

Ginny shook her head at him. "She wouldn't."

Tom scowled. "Not to her beloved little Gryffindors. Just don't get on her bad side, Ginny Love. See you later."

"Wait! Tom, I need some excuse to tell McGonagall why I was late," Ginny said. "What shall I tell her?"

Tom looked at Ginny, then reached out and grabbed her arm, making her cry out in pain and cradle her arm. "Tom," she breathed in pain, "What did you do?"

He watched her a moment, then replied, "Go to the Hospital Wing, and Madam Pomfrey will tell you. Say that when you did a counter-jinx this morning, you fell. You don't have to tell her that this didn't happen when you fell."

"Can you lessen the pain?" Ginny gasped, looking up at him pitifully. "Please, Tom?" she asked with a pout.

"Ginny!" he exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't know that you knew how to pout. Don't you dare start that on me! Yes, here, I'll help you." He did a quick spell, then said, "That'll hold you for a few minutes, long enough to dress and get down to the Hospital Wing. Go on, then." Tom disapparated.

Ginny hurried to dress, marveling that Tom would do such a thing, but happy that he would help her. She was grateful that he hadn't hurt her wand arm, for she still had something to do before she headed up to the Hospital Wing. Once she was dressed, she turned to Marlene's bed, raising her wand. Ginny put a ward over it that kept half-bloods and anyone over the age of fourteen from getting into the bed or dropping the ward. She went on and did the same thing to Marianne's bed.

 _Tom?_ she asked, feeling pain coming back to her arm. _Should I do Karidia and Kefira as well? I really don't mind them as much._

 _Well, if you don't do theirs, the other two girls will probably push them out of one of their beds and sleep two in a bed until tomorrow morning,_ Tom replied. _If you really want to get them, make sure you do all four—and ward yours against them as well._

Ginny obeyed, her arm aching by the time she was done. "There," she breathed, leaning against the doorframe for a minute. Picking up her bookbag, she hurried to the Hospital Wing as fast as she could, making sure not to bump her arm.

When she entered the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey looked up from one of her patients and bustled over. "You're so pale!" she fussed over Ginny. "What have you done to yourself?"

"I didn't do it!" Ginny protested, pointing to her aching arm. "I did a counter-jinx on myself this morning, and I fell!"

Running her wand over Ginny's arm, the medi-witch _tick-ticked_ and said, "Broken. Come along, dear. We'll let you stay here this morning. I'm sure that a day out of class won't hurt you any."

"But it's the first day of three of my classes!" Ginny gasped. "And I have detention tonight! And I don't want to miss the first Potions class! It'll set the year wrong!"

"What did you do to get detention so early in the year?" she demanded, then held up her hand. "Actually, I don't want to know. You're just like the twins. Always getting into trouble. At least you're not down here as much as they are. They're getting quite used to coming here. Last time they were here I offered them a permanent bed!"

Giggling, Ginny said, "Well, please, I don't want to miss class, Madam. If you can set it to healing and give me something for the pain, then I think I'll be all right."

Madam Pomfrey shook her head at the red-haired girl. "You have your life all figured out, don't you?" she asked, then quickly did a spell on Ginny's arm. "That should heal it in twenty-four hours. It's not your wand arm, is it?" Ginny shook her head, and Madam Pomfrey said, "Excellant. But don't do any magic with it until it's healed anyway. And here's a potion for the pain: it might make you sleepy."

Without hesitation, Ginny picked up the glass and drained it. "Thanks," she said to the Madam. "Do you want me to come back and see you after classes?"

"That'd be good," the madam replied. "Go on, then. And here's your excuse slip. Minerva won't let you get by without it. And do hurry, because I don't want to have to give you one for Severus—he rarely allows them as an excuse anyway."

Grinning, Ginny thanked the woman again and hurried off.

* * *

Turning the doorknob, Ginny opened the door and stepped into the room. Immediately, McGonagall stopped talking and all eyes were on Ginny. "Ms. Weasley!" trilled McGonagall. "You are twenty minutes late for my class! Ten points—!"

All the Gryffindors in the class groaned, and Ginny noticed that her Transfiguration class was with the Ravenclaws. Her dorm mates glaring at her, Ginny walked up to the desk and put the excuse slip on it. "I had a mishap this morning," Ginny said simply, "and I had an unscheduled trip to the Hospital Wing. I do apologize for my tardiness. If it had not been for the curse traps, I would have been here on time."

The Ravenclaws looked quite interested, but most disapproving. Marlene and Marianne giggled, but Ginny smirked at them, knowing that they had something coming that they would not know how to deal with.

"Very well," said the professor. "No points shall be taken. Take your seat, Ms. Weasley. I do believe there is a seat over there in the Ravenclaw section—with Charleston."

Turning, Ginny saw Cherea, who smiled slightly and moved her books for Ginny to sit down. "Thanks," Ginny murmured to her, sliding into the seat.

"You're welcome," Cherea replied. "I'll make a copy of the notes if you would like them."

Ginny nodded. "Thanks," she said, receiving a look from the professor that meant _Be quiet!_ She was quiet and attentive for the rest of the lesson, applying the lecture and attempting the spell that McGonagall had described to them.

Cherea had done it on the first try, and leaned over to Ginny, giving her more pointers. "More flick and less swish," she told Ginny. "Kind of lean into the spell, almost. And you have to mean it, believe in the spell—believe that what we want to see done will be done."

And after several tries, Ginny was able to do it. "In class it's so different," Ginny sighed. "Outside of class, I can change shapes, textures, colours—almost anything, but a simple transfiguration spell like this and I'm lost!"

The dark-haired Ravenclaw girl smiled. "I understand. If you can get the understanding for the classroom work, transfiguration will be a breeze for you," she told Ginny. "I've seen the evidence."

The two shared a smile, and Ginny added, "That you have. I'd nearly forgotten. Say, what do you know about Search and Curse?"

"This is not the time or place for that," Cherea hissed under her breath. "That is a Slytherin game that not even many Ravenclaws play. I know it because of my family." Cherea smirked proudly, displaying her sharper qualities. "We can talk about that after class."

"Sorry," Ginny whispered and nodded. "We can do that."

"Now, what did you do to get detention?" Cherea asked with a grin.

Trying not to giggle as she watched someone else attempt the transfiguration, Ginny replied, "I wasn't paying attention in Charms, and I laughed because I was thinking of something else, but Professor Flitwick thought I was laughing at the girl who was trying the Charm, and I disrupted class, so I got detention."

Cherea laughed. "So you have detention with him tonight?" she asked. "That shouldn't be too bad. Say, what happened with the curse traps that you mentioned earlier?"

Before Ginny could answer, McGonagall came up to their desk and approved their work, giving them another transfiguration to do in the meantime. Cherea examined their new task, to change a vase into a pitcher. Grinning again, she filled the vase with water from her wand. "Now, if you screw up, you'll get everything all wet," Cherea told Ginny with a wicked grin. "You had better do it right."

Ginny gave her a careful look, then asked, "Why would you do that?"

"Because if something bad happens when someone does something wrong, then there is greater incentive to do it right," Cherea replied. "My father taught me that. The twins often do things that way as well."

"So...in Charms class we were learning the Flame-Freezing Charm," Ginny began. "If someone had his sleeve set on fire, they would most likely learn the charm faster?"

"Yes," replied Cherea, laughing, "or burn up before they learned it. But most people have a survival instinct, or at least an instinct to 'accidental' magic. Here: I'll do it first." Holding her wand carefully, she pointed it at the vase and announced the incantation, watching as it changed to a pitcher.

Ginny nodded carefully, then said, "Now change it back so I can change it." Cherea did and Ginny bit her lip, concentrating as she attempted the transfiguration. After a moment, she exclaimed triumphantly, "There! I did it!"

Cherea inspected Ginny's work and said, "Well, the vase to pitcher was done well, but the water isn't there anymore!" Ginny growled at her cousin, and Cherea burst out laughing.

Pointing her wand at the pitcher, Ginny transfigured it back to a vase—adding water and a dozen beautiful, thorny roses. "How's that?" Ginny demanded of Cherea, grinning.

Cherea merely pointed her wand at Ginny's work and turned it into a beautifully ornate pitcher, filled with water. The blue and bronze edging on the pitcher shone, as well as the Ravenclaw crest in the middle of it, the eagle cawing suddenly and distracting half the class.

Ginny frowned at Cherea, who was laughing at Ginny, her mouth open. Pointing her wand at her cousin, Ginny transfigured her incisors into fangs. "I'll bite you," Cherea growled, lunging at Ginny teasingly.

"No!" Ginny shrieked, completely jumping out of her chair.

"Ms. Weasley," began Professor McGonagall, glaring across the room at her, "you will stay in your chair—Ms. Charleston, what did you do to your teeth?"

All the Ravenclaws turned to look at Cherea except Luna, and they gave each other careful looks when they saw Cherea's fangs. "If you please, professor," Cherea replied calmly, "the distinguished Gryffindor that you seated beside me did this to my teeth."

Stanley Ackerman laughed at the Ravenclaw girl's fangs. "You look like a—a wolf," he teased her.

"A werewolf," added one of the other Gryffindor boys, and a Ravenclaw boy interrupted.

"Actually," he began, "there are several differences between wolves and werewolves. First—"

"That will do," McGonagall said sharply. "Ms. Weasley, please change her teeth back to normal."

Ginny pointed her wand at Cherea's grinning mouth and said, " **Finite Incantatum**!" Cherea's teeth returned to normal and Ginny lowered her wand.

"Nicely done with the pitcher," McGonagall complimented Cherea before walking away to help someone else.

Ginny scowled to herself. _Of course she wouldn't notice one of mine because she already doesn't like me,_ she complained to Tom. _She didn't even notice when I had the roses!_

 _Welcome to my world,_ Tom told her. _And to the world of every Slytherin that's ever taken her classes._

 _Lovely,_ Ginny said. _I'm thrilled now. I'd better not get myself detention from her._

Tom shrugged. _Class should be over at any moment, so you probably won't._

And Tom was right. In a few minutes, class was let out, and Ginny was hurrying to gather her notes to get on her way to Potions class. Cherea said, "I'll get you those notes. Oh, and I guess I'll tell you about Search and Curse later. Sit at the Ravenclaw House table for lunch: come as Estella. I've got to go to Defense now."

Ginny nodded. "And I've got to get off to Potions before Snape turns me into a flobberworm," she told Cherea, who burst out laughing. Ginny ran off down the hall, ignoring a prefect who yelled after her.

Ginny ran down the dark shortcut to the Slytherin dungeons close to the Potions room, holding up her wand to light the way. She was grateful that she'd left Icythan in the Chamber again, but felt sorry that she hadn't brought him. She knew that she couldn't leave him in the Chamber indefinitely.

Coming to the end of the passage, Ginny raised her hand and the wall opened before her, allowing her out into one of the stone corridors. "Good," she murmured to herself, hurrying along until she spotted the classroom door. She walked calmly up to it and looked in.

There was no one there. Ginny frowned and stepped into the classroom. No Severus Snape to be seen anywhere. _I can't be in the wrong place, can I?_ she wondered worriedly. _Of course I can. The class could have been moved, or my dorm mates could have changed them._ Ginny's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the empty classroom. _If they changed my paper, I'll—_

"A little early, Ms. Weasley?" asked a cold voice, making Ginny jump in shock.

Her heart pounding, Ginny looked up at the ceiling, collected her thoughts, closed her mouth, then turned to look behind her. Professor Snape stood right inside the door, less than three feet away from her, his icy grey eyes staring right through her.

"Um, yes, Professor," she replied, moving herself and her supplies out of the way so he could walk on into the room. _Did I beat him here?_ she wondered idly.

"No, you did not," Professor Snape said coldly. "Guard your mind, Ms. Weasley."

Her mind snapped shut like a trap, and when she looked up at him, she saw something like amusement in his eyes, but there was no hint of a smile, or a smirk, or a sneer. _Oh, no!_ she shrieked inside her mind, wondering what else he had seen.

He looked down at his papers and Ginny shook her head slightly at herself. She couldn't be upset when everyone came in because they would want to know what had happened. "Study your summer lesson," Snape told her, and Ginny obediently opened her Potions text and began to study the lessons she'd worked on during the summer, not questioning her professor.

The Gryffindor students began to trickle in by twos and threes, none wanting to enter Slytherin territory alone. The Hufflepuffs came in bigger groups: probably four or five in their three groups. _The more the merrier,_ Ginny supposed. She knew that Hufflepuffs all leaned on each other for support.

Kefira scooted over next to Ginny and asked, "How did you get here so quickly? It took us forever to find the stairway down here!"

Ginny just smiled and continued to study her book, motioning the girl to be quiet. When it was getting close to time to start class, Karidia leaned over and asked Kefira, "Have you seen Marlene and Marianne? If they're late, we'll lose house points!"

"Lost them after Transfig," Kefira replied. "I hope they turn up sooner and not later."

At that moment, Snape called the class to order, and Ginny shut her book, placing it onto her desk. "Since most of you did not do your summer homework, we will now have a quiz on what you were supposed to have done," Snape announced. "Put everything off your desks.

Ginny quickly placed her Potions book back in her bookbag and looked up again, hearing the other students grumble. Snape simply flicked his wand and the stack of papers on his desk flew across the room, distributing the quiz to the students. "You have fifteen minutes," Snape said in a bored tone. "Begin."

The quiz turned out to not be very hard for Ginny, but some of the others were struggling with it—they should have done their homework. Marlene and Marianne stumbled into the room near the ten minute mark, out of breath from running.

"Ten points from Gryffindor," Snape sneered at them. "Here is your quiz. There are five minutes left, whether you pass or fail."

"But we couldn't find—" protested Marlene.

"Ten points each," Snape added, and turned his attention away from them.

Marlene sat down on the other side of Ginny, loudly setting down her bookbag and getting out her quill. Ginny really, really wanted to smack the latecomers for being such brats, but she was busy with her own quiz.

After several moments, Ginny looked up, and Marlene jerked quickly. Ginny looked over at her dorm mate, then up at Snape, who wasn't watching them. _He probably knows what Marlene's doing,_ Ginny thought, not being careful to guard that thought. _I won't tell him._

Snape looked up and surveyed the students, seeing Ginny lean over her paper and work hard on one of the questions. Marlene leaned forward, peeking over at Ginny's paper, and then writing the answer down. "Time's up!" Snape said, standing quickly, and every student put their quills down. "Heark, you will stay after class today."

"But I wasn't that late! And I wasn't the only—" Marlene began.

"I will not hear excuses, Heark," Snape snarled, and the girl finally shut up. Snape flicked his wand and the quizzes flew right back up to his desk. He began a lecture on the potion that they would begin to brew the next hour of class and finish in the next class: an acid that would eat straight through rock.

Ginny wondered if that would be wise for Gryffindors to brew, but she didn't say anything, because Snape looked at her with his dark, piercing eyes, and she fell silent. _Trust Snape,_ she commanded herself. _Trust Snape—_ _Professor_ _Snape. Trust Professor Snape._

The Hufflepuffs all seemed worried about the potion being unstable and explosive, and Professor Snape told the class, "The acidic substance that will go into the potion explodes upon contact with water." He eyed everyone in the class coldly. "If any of you are caught fooling around with it, you will be sent packing. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Professor," Ginny said, and others murmured their replies as well.

Professor Snape just scowled at the lot of them and told them to come up to his desk table by table to measure out their ingredients in front of him. Ginny figured he wanted to make sure that people didn't use too much: she hoped that no one botched this potion too badly.

As Ginny and her four dorm mates went forward to get their ingredients, Ginny found herself behind them, waiting. When she was measuring out her ingredients, Professor Snape frowned and asked, "You don't have someone to work with, do you?"

"No," Ginny replied, "but I'll be fine on my own."

"Very good," sneered Snape. "As long as you don't need Ms. Granger to talk you through your work, all should—"

Ginny jerked violently, angry at Snape. The acidic substance that she was trying to pour spilled over onto her hand and Ginny screamed as it ate into her hand, burning her. Dropping the flask of the substance back onto the table, Ginny clenched her fist, shrieking as the burning continued deeper and deeper.

Professor Snape quickly put the balm on Ginny's hand, which stopped the acid from burning deeper, but didn't make it stop hurting. "I'll see you after class as well," he sneered at her. "You should be more careful, Weasley."

 _Careful!_ she screamed at him in her mind, pain knocking her normal restraint away. _After you suggested that I'd need that_ _Mudblood_ _to help me brew a potion. You're just lucky I didn't splash any of it on you!_

He just looked at her, and Ginny glanced down at his potions apron and his hands, realizing that she _had_ splashed some on him. _I'm sorry,_ she said contritely, then added out loud, "Yes, Professor." Gritting her teeth against the pain, Ginny went back to her seat, taking her ingredients with her.

"Ginny!" Karidia hissed. "Are you okay? That _bastard_ —"

"Hush! Shut up, do you hear?" Ginny snapped under her breath. "It's okay. I was just clumsy. As normal. Now let's get on with what we're supposed to do."

Karidia and Kefira looked worriedly at her, but Ginny said not a word, beginning to heat her cauldron. She began to put her powders and fluids into the cauldron, stirring it five times counterclockwise, then putting a little bit of whatever blood it was that Snape had put out for them to use. Ginny didn't suppose it was wise not to know, but the way her arm and hands were feeling, she really didn't care. Ginny stirred the potion until it was brown, then left it to simmer until their next class.

Professor Snape looked over at her, then motioned her to come up to the front. "You've finished," he said, not praising her or scolding her. She nodded ever so slightly, and he flicked his hand and a ward went up around them. "The Slytherins have been talking about you," he said, watching her face.

Ginny said nothing, and Snape scowled at her. "I, as the Head of my House, am aware of everything that goes on there—yes, moreso than Draco, Estella," he told her. Ginny's mouth dropped open. He had called her Estella!

A sneer crept onto his face once more, and he said, "Yes, I know what you have done several times last year and already this year. If you play with fire, Estella, you are bound to get burned. Now go, and be warned. There will be no one to help you if something goes wrong." Snape crumbled the ward and announced, "when you are—"

He stopped and raised his wand just as one of the cauldrons exploded on the Hufflepuff side of the room, hitting nearly everyone with the acid. Screaming increased drastically around the room, and Snape, fuming at the "stupid Hufflepuffs who hadn't realized that there was a leak in the ceiling," stormed around, applying the balm where it was needed.

"All of you who have been burned, go see Madam Pomfrey. And next time, WATCH WHERE YOU PUT YOUR CAULDRON!" he roared after them. "Heark, you're to stay after."

"But it burns!" she whined.

"Are you stupid?" one of the Hufflepuffs shouted at her. "After all you've done in our class, can't you just shut up and suck it up?"

Marlene stared. "Hufflepuffs don't yell at people."

"Some Hufflepuffs do a lot of things they're not supposed to," the girl retorted. "Get over yourself." She stormed out of the room, her friends (some of them crying from their burns) going with her.

Ginny hurried out of the room after them, glad she'd sealed her cauldron before the other potion had exploded. She caught up to the group and smiled at the brown-haired girl. "Thanks for taking care of Marlene. I didn't know what to do, and—"

"And Professor Snape looked like he wanted to curse someone," a little blonde Hufflepuff said. "I thought he was going to yell at her again. I didn't mean for my potion to explode!" And the girl began to cry again.

"It's all right," her friend reassured her, then turned to Ginny. "I think she got the worst of it because she was right there when the water dripped into her vial of that acidic stuff. It wasn't the potion that exploded. By the way, I'm Beatrix Artemis, and this is Flora Greyson."

"I'm Ginevra Weasley, but I usually go by Ginny," she told them as they walked. "You know, I do know a passage that will make it a shorter distance from here to the Hospital Wing."

One of the others looked at her carefully. "Is it dark?"

Ginny nodded. "And cold, and drafty, but short enough. Do you want to try it?"

"Sure," Beatrix said, "and by the way, you can call me Bea—or Trix. All my friends do."

"Okay, Bea. Come this way," Ginny told them, leading the up to the wall. Pressing the stones quickly in order, Ginny opened the wall and led them into the passage. A couple of the Hufflepuffs whimpered when the passage shut behind them, but none of them asked to turn back.

Soon, they came to the end of the passage, and Ginny stepped out, running right into Fred, George, and several of their classmates. "Ginny?" they gasped. "How do you know about this—Hufflepuffs? Ginny, what are you doing?"

"Taking them to the Hospital Wing," Ginny replied. "We had a little mishap in Potions this morning."

"Then Snape's in a great mood, isn't he?" Lee Jordan commented. "Lovely."

"So you have Potions now?" Ginny asked. "Isn't it lunch time?"

Fred and George looked at each other, and finally said, "We brought our lunch with us, and came down here to make sure we found the classroom before class began."

Bea grabbed Ginny's sleeve and said, "We need to move on, now."

Laughing, Ginny nodded at her brothers and hurried off with the Hufflepuffs, taking them to the Hospital Wing. When they arrived there, Madam Pomfrey met them, looking at Ginny in surprise. "Back so soon? I thought you'd come back tonight—or not at all!"

Ginny smiled, then said, "We had some acid explode in Potions this morning, and most of us had it splash over us. And I burnt my hands by spilling the acid on them. Snape helped us, but told us to come here. Other Gryffindors are on their ways as well."

Madam Pomfrey sighed, then shrugged. "That's what I'm here for," she told them, setting Flora down and beginning to examine her. "Excellant," she said. "Severus used a balm to stop the burning. Here: put your hands in this." The medi-witch placed a container full of boiling, green potion beside the girl.

"But—" Flora tested it with one finger before plunging her hands in up to her wrists. Bea stepped forward and rolled up her friend's sleeves so they wouldn't fall into the potion. "Thanks," Flora told her, and the two grinned at each other.

"Keep your hands in there until it turns black," Madam Pomfrey told her, moving a couple other Hufflepuffs to sit on the bed. Placing similar containers next to the others, she told them to put their hands in them. She motioned to Ginny to come over, and Ginny frowned, coming slowly.

"What about lunch?" Ginny asked, coming over by the medi-witch. "I'm supposed to meet one of my friends for lunch."

Madam Pomfrey set down another container of potion and motioned Ginny to put her hands in it. "It won't take very long," she told Ginny as Flora announced that her potion was black.

Flora pulled her hands out of the potion and washed them off, grinning. Once her friend was also finished, they left the Hospital Wing together. After that, the Hufflepuffs left in _two_ s and _three_ s. As the last group of three headed toward the door, one of the boys turned back.

"Ginny?" he asked. "Do you want us to wait for you?"

"Yeah," agreed one of the other boys. "After she brought us through the shortcut and all. We owe it to her."

Ginny smiled at them. "I'll be fine," she said. "Like I said, I'm meeting a friend for lunch and I'll be all right. Thank you, though."

They grinned in return. "You're welcome," they replied, and hurried off.

With a sigh of relief, Ginny resigned herself to watching the potion turn different colours. It turned from green, to yellow, to orange, to red, to darker red, to brown, to darker brown, to black. "It's black!" Ginny announced.

A student lying in a bed a little way away sat up straight in bed and gasped, "Where? Where is he?"

Ginny roared with laughter, trying to keep her hands from dripping the potion everywhere. "Nowhere," she gasped out between laughs. "I meant the potion had turned black! Hahaha!" Ginny continued laughing.

"That's not funny, Weasley," said the boy coldly, lying back down.

"Oh, come on, Ravenclaw," Ginny responded, stopping her laughter and peering at him more closely. "Not even a little funny?"

"No," he said firmly. "And my name is not 'Ravenclaw.' My name is Erik Daiman, and I've been doing research about Sirius Black."

Ginny giggled. "Is that why you're in here?" she asked, a huge grin on her face. Madam Pomfrey came over and cleaned off Ginny's hands, declaring her ready to leave.

Eric frowned at her. "No. Don't joke about his being here. We don't want Black here, because he's very dangerous!"

"How would you know?" Ginny asked. "Did you ask him?"

"Weasel, you are incorrigible," he snapped.

"Why thank you," Ginny replied. "But what were you going to say?"

Eric sighed and continued, "I'm not sure how much you know about Black, but he was the one during the First Wizarding War who betrayed the Potters to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and caused their deaths. Also, when Black's old friend confronted him about his treachery, Black murdered him, blowing up a street and killing twelve Muggles in the process! He _laughed_ when the Hit Wizards arrested him! This wizard is insane, Weasley, and now that he's been in Azkaban for twelve-some years, he's got to be even worse now!"

Ginny almost smiled, but nodded very gravely. "I heard some of the Slytherins talking about him," she added. "They think he's very powerful, but crazy."

"Definitely," Eric replied. "Now go away: you had a lunch date with a friend, right?"

"Right." Ginny dashed out of the Hospital Wing.


	11. The New DADA Professor

Estella walked through the massive Great Hall doors and headed toward the Ravenclaw table, despite the Slytherin crest on her robes. Cherea raised her eyebrow at her cousin as she sat down. "Finally," Cherea scolded. "I had almost given up on you."

"Sorry," Estella replied, summoning her food from down the table. "One of the potions exploded in class, and I had to take about seven or eight Hufflepuffs to the Hospital Wing. The majority of the Gryffs are still there as well."

"If it was a Gryffindor-Hufflepuff class, how come you know about it?" asked the girl on the other side of her.

Estella turned and looked at her with a scowl. "I just do," Estella told the brown-haired girl.

Cherea tried to distract them. "Professor Snape's not here, Stel."

"He's probably still chewing out Heark," giggled Estella, then glared at the other nosy Ravenclaw and drew her wand. She put a Silencing Ward around them, smirking at the second girl. "Marlene had to stay after to talk to Professor Snape because he caught her cheating on the quiz this morning."

Cherea rolled her eyes. "Stupid of her," she commented. She didn't even think a quiz first day of class was strange. "Does she normally cheat?"

Estella shrugged and replied, "I'm not sure. I do know that she was ten minutes late for the fifteen minutes we were allowed for the quiz."

"Wow," Cherea said with a laugh. "That's pretty bad. Gryffs usually don't come within Professor Snape's deadlines anyway. But anyway...weren't we going to speak about the game you mentioned earlier?"

"Yes," Estella replied immediately. "Search and Curse. What is it and how do you play it? I'm going to play it on Friday night."

Cherea raised an eyebrow. "I see. First of all, Search and Curse is usually much too dangerous to play indoors. They usually play in the Quidditch stadium—or in the Forbidden Forest."

Estella listened carefully, and asked, "So, how is it played, then?"

"Some of my housemates call it the wizard version of the Muggle game Hide-and-Go-Seek," Cherea replied. "But everyone is against everyone else, and they're all trying to take each other out. But that's only one version. Sometimes there are hunting partners and sometimes they play Search and Curse in pairs. There are many versions of the game."

"Any curse?" Estella asked.

Cherea glanced at her cousin cautiously. "Sometimes," she replied. "Many times the Unforgivables are excluded. It depends on who's playing and who's in charge. Charms, hexes, jinxes, and other spells are included. Just because it's called Search and _Curse_ doesn't mean that you can  only curse your opponents. Oh yeah—and sometimes they put a time limit on the game."

Estella sat contemplating in silence before nodding. "Thank you. Wow. It must be a very dangerous game."

"Estella," sighed Cherea, "you have no idea. If they use the Unforgivables, stay close to the twins or someone who can help you."

Estella tilted her head carefully. "I know about _Crucio_ ," she said with a grimace. "Quite a lot. And the Killing Curse. But I don't know much about the other one."

Cherea nodded. "I won't tell you about it here—I don't think it's safe, even with the Silencing Ward up. Perhaps later. And the twins know all about it and can give you a crash course if you need one out on the field."

"All right," Estella replied. "Thank you. Now I've got to get to Defense before I get off on the wrong foot with another professor."

"Lupin's nice enough," Cherea said. "He's got a creepy side as well."

"Creepy?" asked Estella. "He helped me after the dementors had come through! What would make him creepy?"

Cherea shrugged, very uncharacteristic of her. "You'll find out. We Ravenclaws have Charms now." She reached up and dropped the ward her cousin had put up. "See you later, Estella. I suggest you not go to class as you are."

Leaving the girl giggling, Cherea stood up, shouldering her backpack, and left the Great Hall. Estella hurried to finish eating and run off to her class.

* * *

Observing Professor Lupin, Ginny didn't find anything remotely creepy about him. She described him to Tom: _He's thin and frail-looking, but I'm guessing he's stronger than he looks. He's really pale, and—he looks sick, but I'm not quite sure how._

 _Keep your eye on him and we'll find out,_ Tom told her. _And please be careful in this class._

 _I will,_ Ginny promised, grinning. _This class should be—_

"How on earth did you get here so quickly?" Marlene snapped at her upon entering the classroom. "You left Potions and we couldn't even catch up to you in the dungeons. Madam Pomfrey told us that you'd already been through the Hospital Wing and you weren't even in the Great Hall!"

Marlene glared at her. "You're a freak, Ginevra!"

Marianne elbowed her friend and indicated the professor. "Just kidding!" she chimed, putting her arm around Ginny's shoulders.

Magic ran through Ginny's arms and shoulders, repelling Marianne's arm and making her fall backward. "Marianne," Ginny warned, "don't lie for her, or you'll come to the same bad end."

"You planning to end her?" quipped one of the boys. "Thank goodness and go right ahead. Oh—Professor, could you turn your back for a minute? I don't think it'll take very long."

Marlene shrieked at them in horror, making the other students laugh. Ginny just grinned. "Curse traps aren't punishable by death—neither is namecalling—and it's not our place to mete out punishment."

"If it were, all Slytherins would be dead," said Marlene with a smirk.

"Only the ones that were caught," Ginny retorted. "And they're better than that!"

Lupin had been frowning at them and now said, "You all joke about these things too easily. You should be helping each other, not degrading each other."

Ginny turned her full attention to Lupin and replied, "Respectfully, Professor, I believe you've confused us with the Hufflepuffs. Haven't you seen Gruffindors stab each other in the back?"

Lupin seemed to be effected by Ginny's words, but Marlene wouldn't let it rest. "Ginny would know all about that: she hexes us and our things every chance she gets, and look! She doesn't even deny it!"

 _Because you wouldn't let me get a word in,_ Ginny thought angrily as Marlene went on.

"The worst thing is that she hangs out with those Slytherin brats," Marlene sneered.

"I think Snape kept you after class too long," Stanley Ackerman told her. "You're sneering. Most people know that the Charlestons are Ginny's friends, and if you insist on sticking your nose in their business, you're going to get it hexed, Heark."

Ginny smiled at Stanley gratefully as Lupin called his class to order. To Ginny's amusement, the class consisted of their learning some blocking spells, like _Expelliarmus_ and _Impedimenta_.

"There are stronger shielding spells," Lupin told them. "Does anyone know some of them?"

Ginny raise her hand and answered, "There's the Shield Charm, _Protego_."

"Very good," he said. "Five points to Gryffindor." Then he went on with the class. A few minutes later, he announced pleasantly that they would then test each shielding spell.

Calling Stanley up to the front of the room, Lupin began to explain. "The first spell I throw at you, block it with _Expelliarmus_. The second, _Impedimenta_. I don't expect perfection, but try your hardest. Are you ready, Stanley?"

Stanley nodded, his wand readily in his head. " **Expelliarmus**!" His spell collided with Lupin's _Stupefy_ , and the two fizzled into nothingness. He readied again, and shouted, " **Impedimenta!** " blocking Lupin's _Somnus_.

"Excellant!" Lupin told the boy. "Colin, you're next."

Looking startled, Colin jumped up, forgetting his wand at his desk and having to go back for it. " **Stupefy!** " called Professor Lupin. Colin attempted to shield it, but nothing came from his wand and he sank to the ground, unconscious.

In fact, several of the students didn't get past the first or second spells! Ginny waited for her turn, wondering if she could get through both of the spells.

 _Of course you can,_ Tom scolded her. _You can do that non-verbal spell_ _you_ _created? I have no doubt that you can do two simple spells, Ginny Love._

"Ginevra," Professor Lupin called out her name again.

"Yes?" she asked, then realized. "Oh yes." She hopped up, her wand in hand, taking her place across from Lupin. Realizing there was an unconscious girl on the floor, Ginny enervated her and her friends pulled her out of the way.

Lupin merely looked at her, then fired _Stupefy_. Before she finished shielding the first spell, he sent the next one. Shielding the spell with a wild slash of her wand, Ginny sent a spell at him: " **Vermus Nez!** "

He put up a Shield Charm, then looked at her questioningly. "I'll see you after class," he told her.

"That's every class today, Ginevra," Marlene taunted. "And don't forget your detention with Professor Flitwick tonight."

"That's enough," Lupin told Heark. "Your homework for Thursday is to find a partner and practice these shielding spells. I think you can ask Ginevra to assist you if you wish."

"If we dare," quipped Stanley, winking at her. "Help us, Gin?" he asked.

Ginny nodded, grinning. "Tomorrow after lunch?" They agreed and nodded. "We can meet up in the Entrance Hall."

Lupin smiled at her. "Thank you, Ginevra," he said. "Class dismissed."

After everyone had left the room, Ginny made her way up to his desk. "You wished to talk to me, Professor?"

He looked at her calmly and said, "Since you entered the classroom today, you repelled your housemate's arm wandlessly, accused your fellow Gryffindors of being treacherous, misheard what I asked you to do, and tried to hex me. Ginevra, is this normal for you?"

"Why are you asking me what is normal?" Ginny asked him with a frown. "By all Gryffindor standards, I'm not normal."

"I don't judge by standard, or at least, I endeavour not to," Lupin told her. "I learned long ago that that's not the way to do it. I'm asking you because I sense you're different."

Ginny sighed and sank into a chair in the front row. "I am...not like the rest of the Gryffindors," she began. "My dorm mates hate me, especially when I retaliate on them because of their curse traps. They don't understand me at all."

Lupin nodded thoughtfully. "I could see that in class today," he told her, then asked, "Are you really—do you really have Slytherin friends?"

"Yes," said Ginny flatly. "They're more accepting of differences than the Gryffs—at least, my differences. And they leave me alone when I need to be."

"You find Gryffindors cold and unfriendly?" Lupin asked in surprise.

"Yes," Ginny finally replied, "but not all of them. My brothers are mostly decent. I'm sure there are others, but I'm not about to dangle myself over the fire just to get burned."

The professor frowned. "How did you learn the wandless spell, the repelling one?"

Ginny shrugged. "It's something I picked up during the summer," she replied. "Someone would grab my arm and I'd repel them. I just know how to do it—she wasn't even my friend and was in my personal space! There was no way I'd let her arm stay there!"

She looked over at the wall and said, "I only tried to hex you because you sent the two spells at me, one right after the other, and you didn't do that to anyone else. That's why I sent the hex."

Lupin nodded. "I knew you could handle it, Ms. Weasley: that's why I sent them together. That should be all: you're dismissed."

Ginny stood, picking up her bookbag. "Good day," she told him, walking out of the room and heading for the Charms classroom.

* * *

Upon entering the classroom, Ginny found the short professor reading at his desk. "Ah, Ms. Weasley," he said, looking up as she entered. "Just who I was waiting for." He waved the door shut with his hand and turned back to her. "In class yesterday, you didn't look at me once before I gave you detention. Right after that, you callously laughed at your housemate's failed attempt at her charm. Do you have anything to say for yourself, Ms. Weasley?"

"I wasn't laughing at Heark: I hadn't even been watching her, and I don't even know what happened to her or what she was doing," Ginny told her professor truthfully. "I was thinking about something else and laughed at that, precisely at the wrong time."

Professor Flitwick thought a moment, then said, "You didn't look at me once, yet when I asked you to perform the charm we were working on, you did it perfectly. Does this class not challenge you?"

Ginny looked at her professor carefully, then replied, "Well, no. I've been studying a little on my own, especially during the summer, and I studied my book before I came to school. I've also studied some of my brother's books." Flitwick seemed to be wondering which one of her brothers, so she answered, "The books belonged to Percy. He allowed me to read them."

The little professor did a double take. "Percy Weasley is a seventh year! Did you understand everything in his Charms book?"

"Of course not," Ginny replied. "I was missing several of the steps between the simple charms and the more complex ones. But the Charms books that I found around the house filled in the gaps, and I think I have most of the concepts down."

"I see." Flitwick nodded, a smile coming over his face. "I believe I made the correct decision concerning you, Ms. Weasley. You will be joining a Charms study group as well as attending regular classes—if you wish to further your knowledge of Charms." Ginny nodded, and he continued, "Come along then."

He jumped down off the high stool that served as his chair and led her out of the room and down the hall quickly. Taking her into a corridor she didn't remember ever seeing before, Professor Flitwick stopped in front of a small wooden door. He pressed his wand and hand against the door and it clicked open.

Ginny smiled as she remembered warding the serpents' old chamber to recognize Bill, wondering if it had been the same spell. The door suddenly swung open and she was inside the room, her professor standing behind her. A number of other students were sitting around an older brown-haired boy with a Ravenclaw crest on his robes. Some of the students were standing in a group, levitating themselves and each other, then dropping them and catching them. Two older boys were playing catch with a younger boy—the young boy being thrown back and forth.

"Let him down!" called the Ravenclaw, standing to greet his Head of House. "Hello, Professor. What can we do for you?" He gave Ginny a searching glance.

The professor watched as the two upperclass students let down the Hufflepuff that had been up in the air. "Well done," he told them before turning back to the Ravenclaw. "Ginevra Weasley will be joining your study group: I have observed her myself, and the other professors have mentioned their observations to me as well."

Ginny looked up at her professor in alarm. "Today?" she gasped, realizing that _of course_ her professors talked to each other! "Ohhh," she moaned under her breath, shaking her head.

"Something wrong?" asked a voice Ginny was certain she knew. Another dark-haired boy smirked at her, a Slytherin crest adorning his robes.

"Selwyn...Soriah," Ginny picked out his name from somewhere back in her memory. "You're in my year, aren't you?"

Professor Flitwick looked up at Ginny. "I think you'll find that Ms. Weasley is not what she seems," he told the others.

"Yeah," said the Hufflepuff. "I heard that she's a Parselmouth." He frowned at her. "Is that true?"

"I—yes," Ginny replied, making him stare at her in horror. "Oh, stop it!" she snapped at him irritably. "Before I freeze your face like that!"

Flitwick almost smiled, and the Ravenclaw, whom Ginny now recognized as Erik Daiman, the boy she'd met in the Hospital Wing, said, "Definitely not what she seems. Now, Professor, as to adjusting the ward...are you going to do that?"

"I believe you can," the professor replied. "Let her tell you what code to put on it so she can remember it easily. Thank you, Daiman."

"You're welcome," the boy replied as the professor walked out.

The Hufflepuff was still watching her carefully, and Ginny scowled at him. "Stop!" she snapped at him. "It's not exactly as if I have a basilisk up my sleeve!"

"But Missstress, you do have a basssilisssk up your sssleeve," hissed Icythan, poking his head out of her sleeve and looking around. The Hufflepuff screamed, jumping back and making Icythan hiss uneasily, "The child is afraid of usss. He will tell his nessstmatesss about usss, Missstress. Do not let him."

The others stared at them, and Erik ordered, "If you are a Parselmouth, translate for us."

Ginny sighed and relented. "Icythan says that the Hufflepuff is afraid and will tell his nestmates, or his housemates, about us," she translated, leaving out the dangerous and frightening parts. "Listen to me, child: this serpent is very special. He has sixteen bitemates, or littermates, in his nest. Icythan is the only one who stays with me all the time, and I got him this summer when I was in Egypt. No one knows about him except my family, my Slytherin friends, and you all. I haven't told anyone else."

"Megan, Guage, Riker, and the twins know, then?" Selwyn asked.

With a nod, Ginny continued, "Don't tell anyone who won't keep their mouths shut. Oh, and be very careful what you say about my being a Parselmouth: I don't want Peeves to make up rhymes about me too." Laughing, the others recalled the rhymes the poltergeist had made up about Harry the previous year.

Suddenly, Erik said, "To business, then. First of all, the ward. Ginevra, the ward is specific to all of us. It recognizes our magic, our wand, and our voice through a personal password. We have to modify the existing ward to include you."

"Oh!" Ginny nodded, grinning. "I studied this during the summer! Let me feel the wards." She walked over to the door, and Erik watched her carefully, his wand ready to stop her. After feeling the wards, she smiled. "They're strong," she told him with a grin. "I can do it myself, if you'd like."

"A second year Gryffindor modify wards that many others cannot get past?" Erik said in disbelief. "I'm not taking that chance. Professor Flitwick would hex me if the wards came down or were disrupted!"

"Lauren Avery says that Ginny has one of the strongest twelve-point wards she has ever seen," Selwyn defended Ginny, standing on her left side. "If Lauren hasn't seen better, not many have, probably. You know how the Averys are, Daiman; her father is amazing with wards. If she says she can do it, I'm sure she can."

"I modified a ward to recognize only my brother this summer. I'm certain that I can modify this ward for myself, without hurting it at all or collapsing it," Ginny sighed.

The Hufflepuff was nodding. "She's sincere," he said. "Let's see what she can do."

Erik frowned and cautioned, "Make sure you have everything you need thought out before you begin."

Ginny nodded, turning away from them. Feeling the ward again, she decided on a code word, then raised her wand, beginning to weave her magic into the ward so it would recognize her. She placed her hand against the door, touching the door with her wand. Drawing an _X_ over her hand with her wand, Ginny pronounced, "Parkington."

Magic crackled as the ward reset, and Ginny stepped back, looking over at Erik. "What did you do?" he asked in surprise, touching the door again. "I don't think you hurt it, but...Merlin's beard, girl!"

"What? What?" gasped the Hufflepuff.

"Usually we don't add to the ward this way," Daiman told Ginny. "At the end of each year, we take the additions to the ward off, but yours—your addition is woven into the very fabric of the original spell. Only you could unravel your part of the ward without taking all of the wards off the room!" He glanced at her sideways. "Professor Flitwick was right: you are not what you seem...Estella."

The girl smiled, raising her wand and removing the charm on her hair, allowing it to turn perfectly black and fall in waves to her waist. "Thank you for allowing me to place the ward," Estella told them, tugging on a lock of her hair thoughtfully. "How did you all know my real identity? Did you all just figure it out?"

The Hufflepuff shook his head. "Selwyn told me. He heard it directly from the Slytherin girls in our year."

Erik replied for all the Ravenclaws that were there: "Most of us stumbled across the connection while researching the Death Eaters alive today (whether free or not), or the Death Eaters in our families. Most Ravenclaws know about you, but they won't recognize you."

Estella nodded in agreement, recalling the girl that had been at the Ravenclaw table at lunch. "None of the Gryffindors know except for Fred, George, and Percy," Estella told the study group. "Bill and Charlie know. Mum and Dad know, of course, but they don't know that I know, and I intend to keep it that way. What about the Hufflepuffs?"

"They don't know," the boy answered. "If they did, they would probably shun you like the plague. The school's not even used to Potter being a Parselmouth, much less the esteemed Weasley girl being the only child of two unincarcerated Death Eaters."

"When you put it like that..." one of the others began, beginning to laugh, "we understand why your housemates think you're weird, Thorin."

Thorin, the Hufflepuff, grinned happily. "Thank you, Mark. You're just the epitome of decency."

"Anytime," Mark replied with a slight bow.

"Enough," Erik told them, irritated. "Estella, continue coming here as...yourself. We meet here every Tuesday afternoon, right after your last class. You will begin with me first thing next meeting, for I want to know exactly where you are in your Charms studies."

"Yes, sir," Estella replied, shifting her bookbag to her other shoulder. "Thank you."

The other Ravenclaws laughed. "You're a _sir_ , Erik! How _dainty_!"

Estella frowned at them, then turned and began to open the door. "Stel," Cherea interrupted her, coming from a back corner, "may I walk with you?"

"Of course," Estella told her in a scolding tone, tilting her head. "Come along."

"Nothing to see here," added a fourth year Ravenclaw.

"I told you not to take Muggle Studies last year, 'Vester," scolded a blonde boy. "Now it's too late."

Erik grinned. "It's ' _Move_ along; nothing to see here,'" he informed them as Cherea and Estella left the room.

"So what did you think?" Cherea asked her friend. "Do you think you'll like it?"

"Probably," Estella replied, a smile spreading across her face. "I enjoyed setting the wards and surprising Daiman. He reminds me a little bit of Percy."

Cherea smiled. "Percy Weasley led our study group last year," she told her. "He resigned when he became Head Boy, so Eric is new at this. Are you heading up to Gryffindor?"

Estella pressed her lips together. "I was going to go back to Slytherin," she said. "What did you have in mind?"

"The twins—well, Brianna, anyway—informed me that something came up and to let you know not to come down to Slytherin tonight. Samantha had to go to the Hospital Wing: she attempted to curse someone, and was severely injured in return," Cherea finally explained to Ginny. "You can come up to Ravenclaw Tower with me if you like."

"Don't Ravenclaws stay at the library?"

"No," said Cherea sharply. "Contrary to popular belief, we Ravenclaws do have a life outside the library."

Giggling, Estella nodded. "Can we visit Samantha?"

Cherea looked straight ahead. "No visits for twenty-four hours," she replied. "We might be able to see her tomorrow night, but I'm not sure. I'll let you know if Brianna tells me anything."

"All right. Ravenclaw it is, then," Estella said with a smile. "Lead on." Cherea quickened her pace.

* * *

Remus Lupin sat at his desk, going over his lesson plans. He was often distracted by thoughts of what had happened in his first classes that morning. A knock on his office door disturbed the peace and quiet, and Remus called, "Come in!" He looked up as Professor McGonagall sat down across from him. "Professor," he acknowledged her.

"Now, Remus," McGonagall said sharply, "I told you now that you're staff, you should call us by our given names."

A strange look crossed his face and he replied, "Only in staff meetings. I find it too awkward otherwise." _How can I call her Minerva when every time I'm near her I feel like a little boy again?_

"How were your classes today?" she asked him. "Did the students behave?"

"Yes, they did," Remus said calmly.

"Even Potter's class?" she inquired further, her concern evident.

Remus smiled. "The third year Gryffindors were almost perfectly in line," he told the older witch. "It was the second year Gryffindors that had me...concerned."

McGonagall took a deep breath. "What did Ms. Weasley do?"

"Why did you assume that I was talking about her?" Remus asked.

"Wasn't it she?" McGonagall asked pointedly, receiving a nod. "Isn't it always?"

Frowning, Remus answered, "You tell me. I looked through her record, and other than the disaster with the Chamber last year, nothing seemed to come up. Have any of the other professors mentioned any extraordinary things she's done?"

McGonagall frowned. "Neither Filius nor Severus has said anything about her to me," she replied. "But what did she do in your class today that concerned you?"

"One of the other girls was raving at her, and another girl put her arm around Ginevra's shoulders," Remus recalled. "Ginevra repelled the girl's arm—wandlessly. The girl ended up on the floor because of the strength of the spell."

"Are you sure it wasn't just a startled reaction?" McGonagall asked with a frown.

"I asked her about it after the class, and Ginevra said that she'd learned the spell during the summer," Remus told the woman. "She said she just knew how to do it."

Shaking her head, McGonagall sighed, "Headmaster Dumbledore believes that, during the time of her possession last year, whatever was in that journal taught Ms. Weasley many things she would otherwise not know yet."

Remus looked at McGonagall carefully. "There's no telling what he taught her; he could have taught her whatever he wished to!" he said. "So is she just ahead in her classes, or are there other things wrong with her?"

McGonagall looked over at the wall a moment, then answered, "Her parents informed me that they had to take her to St. Mungo's during the summer because she was having nightmares about her first year. Apparently, the healers modified her memories to help her, but goodness knows how much they were able to help her. Molly told me that the healers said the girl fought them the entire time, even under _Somniferous_."

"So, not only is she older than her years, but she's missing half her brains?" Lupin asked, almost in amusement.

"Her brains are there; just not her memories," McGonagall explained. "The healers used Memory Charms. I don't think Molly was telling me the entire truth: I have half an idea that Ginevra had found out _something_ that Molly didn't want her to know."

"About Estella Parkington?" Lupin asked, noting McGonagall's surprised expression. "I well remember her parents, Minerva. Ginevra is very much like her real parents, and I have no doubt that that's why she has a hard time fitting in with the other Gryffindor girls her age."

"Ah, yes," McGonagall said. "I did see that there was rivalry there last year; my prefects told me about it. But last year, she also cursed some Slytherins into the Hospital Wing."

"Safe to say it wasn't her that time?" Lupin questioned, and McGonagall sighed.

"We don't know when the Weasley girl was herself and when—when that journal was controlling her," she answered with a disturbed look. "It might be that she didn't want anyone to get too close to her last year because of what was happening to her."

Remus nodding, thinking carefully. "So this year, she's only retaliated on her dorm mates," he said. "Now she doesn't want the Gryffindors close to her?"

McGonagall sighed. "I don't know, but because of last year, I don't want her too close to the Slytherins. I think she'd be an easy target because of what she's been through."

"She's tougher than you think," Lupin told the older witch, thinking of how the Weasley girl had tried to hex him in class. "Did you know that she already has Slytherin friends? She told me that they accept her differences better than her housemates do—at least, the housemates that she talks to. Ginevra said she wouldn't take a chance on gaining Gryffindor friends because she doesn't want to be hurt if something goes wrong."

"That's ridiculous," spat McGonagall. "If something went wrong with her Slytherin friends, it'll be more than just hurt feelings! She could end up dead!"

"She probably believes that if she is hurt there, it would be easier for her to retaliate on a Slytherin than on a Gryffindor," Lupin explained. "I've been removed from school for a while, but I seem to remember that Gryffindor rivalries go on indefinitely, but once a Slytherin has successfully cursed his rival, the loser is in submission until he gains enough bravery to try again."

She sighed. "I suppose, but that's a cold way for her to think! She's a Gryffindor!"

Lupin shrugged. "No one knows what the Hat said to her, Minerva. She probably had the journal by then, and it's a miracle that she ended up in Gryffindor! Her—"

A hurried knock sounded on the door, and Lupin waved his hand at the door, opening it. A prefect stood there, looking very worried. "Miskenet, what can we do for you?" Lupin asked her.

"Professors—I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was looking for Professor McGonagall. Someone has put wards up in the Gryffindor girls' dorm, and none of the upperclass girls can bring them down," Miskenet said, twisting a piece of cloth in her hand. "The girls are saying it was Ginny, but if it was, it wasn't her fault, I promise."

Professor McGonagall stood and excused herself, herding Miskenet away from Lupin's office. "Tell me what happened. What kind of wards are they?"

"Well, they're over the beds of all the girls in Ginny's dorm, including her own," Miskenet began. "The wards are keeping the girls from getting in or near their beds, and although we could test the wards and find out how they're made, we couldn't bring down the wards. They're made special, so that only a certain person or certain kinds of people can crack them."

"And you believe Ginny Weasley made these specialized wards?" McGonagall questioned carefully.

Miskenet nervously led her professor down the hall, explaining, "Her dorm mates believe so, but we couldn't find her anywhere, and we checked in all the places her brothers suggested. Ginny isn't in Gryffindor Tower right now, or in the Hospital Wing, or the library. We can't find her, and if she did put up the wards then she's probably the only one who can bring down the wards."

"Do you have any idea why Ginny would put up these wards? Was it a joke?" McGonagall asked.

"Not at all," Miskenet replied, leading her Head of House on into the Common Room. "Ginny's dorm mates brought this down on themselves by being nasty to her in the first place!"

"Professor McGonagall!" called a girl, hurrying across the room to them. "What brings you up here?"

McGonagall frowned at her. "Ms. Granger, do you know anything about the rivalry between Ms. Weasley and her dorm mates?"

Hermione thought for a moment, then replied, "I know that they laid curse traps for her two days in a row since school started. Ginny vowed to get revenge, but I don't know what either of them have done to each other."

"Come see what Ginny did—well, what her dorm mates think she did," Miskenet invited Hermione. "She's amazing!" Miskenet led the two up the girls' dorm stairs and down the hall into the second years' room. "Go try to get into one of those beds," she told Hermione, pointing away from Ginny's bed. "Don't try Ginny's; Kefira did and she's in the Hospital Wing now."

Walking over to the bed, Hermione put out her hand to touch it, but it repelled her and knocked her backwards to the ground. "Oh, dear," Hermione said, realizing the wards. "Ginny did that?"

Miskenet grinned. "We think so," she told Hermione. "Now we can't find Ginny and no one seems to know where she is, and we can't get the wards down."

"Well..." Hermione gently reached out, feeling the wards. "Um, I think this one should be fairly simple," she said, trying to figure out what was needed to break the ward. "Oh, never mind. She warded it against anyone over a certain age, and against...well, yeah...maybe I can, if she didn't—oh, there we go!"

One of the wards went down, and Miskenet stared at her. "How did you do that?"

Hermione bit her lip nervously. "I'm below the age limit, I guess. It must be set around fourteen or fifteen, then," she replied. "And, well, it's warded against, uh—"

"Half-bloods," came a voice from the doorway. Ginny walked in, looking displeased until she saw Professor McGonagall. "I knew that it would keep most from dropping the wards. I forgot that Hermione was smart enough to crumble my wards." Ginny crumbled the other three wards on her dorm mates' beds. "When I set off that curse trap this morning, I swear I was ready to put the two of them in St. Mungo's."

"Two?" asked their Head of House.

"Marlene and Marianne," Ginny replied. "They've been setting curse traps for me since I dissed them last year. It's getting bad, but I didn't mean to put Kefira in the Hospital Wing. That was an accident."

McGonagall frowned. "Ms. Weasley, you will need to refrain from such specific wards when you play pranks on other students," she ordered. "And never, ever base a ward on someone's blood status." Her eyes darkened as she frowned deeply at Ginny.

Ginny nodded as the door banged open and the two guilty parties walked in. "Weasley!" one shouted, before seeing McGonagall. "She's the one, Professor," Marlene said sharply.

"She has been taken care of," McGonagall returned without changing her expression. "I want you two to know that setting curse traps every day for Ms. Weasley will not be tolerated—by her. She has permission to retaliate, as a Gryffindor and a witch. But also, students, she has been told to change her ways of retaliating. I hope there will not be a need for another discussion with you two." The woman turned on her heel and left the Tower.

Miskenet breathed a sigh of relief. "Ginny, what on earth?! Where were you?"

"Ravenclaw Tower with one of my friends," Ginny replied. "We were doing some research together. I came back to do homework, and decided to stop in here for a moment when I found you in here."

"Weasley, I don't know why you have to be so stupid," Marlene griped.

"Actually, she's not stupid," Hermione interrupted. "She's really quite intelligent! If you could only appreciate the complexity of the wards she created, you would understand!"

Miskenet smiled. "Hermione actually brought down one of the wards before Ginny crumbled the rest of them," she told Marlene and Marianne.

They frowned. "She should have crumbled them earlier then, before we had to ask her brothers where she was."

"Fred and George came and got me," Ginny said with a grin. "Cherea told them that she was shocked they'd gotten past the Ravenclaw portal!"

Laughing, Miskenet replied, "I thought they said they didn't know where you were!"

"They didn't when you asked," Ginny said with a shrug. "They found out later. You have to be very specific when talking to the two of them."

"I see," said Miskenet, nodding gravely. "All right. Let's all go our separate ways and get along for a little while."

Ginny headed straight out of her dorm room, not wanting to remain with her dorm mates. As Ginny headed down the the dorm stairs, she heard Fred and George hollering in the Common Room. Jumping the last few steps, Ginny walked into the Common Room, stopping and staring.

The Weasley twins were under attack from an angry kangeroo! It was trying to kick them, infuriated as they tried to get away from it.

"Who is that?" Ginny gasped, darting forward. "Stop—stop kicking him!" she snapped at the kangeroo, who was in the middle of bouncing off a couch to bruise George's shoulder.

George yelped and grabbed his shoulder, crying out, "Ow! We're sorry! We didn't know you'd take offense to it so badly; we thought you needed to bounce around a little—"

"—but not like this!" said Fred, stepping out of the way when the kangeroo turned its black eyes on him. "We're sorry, honest."

The kangeroo suddenly turned from them and hopped away hurriedly, heading up the boys' dorm stairs. Ginny suddenly realized what the twins must have done. "You didn't!" she hissed at them. "How could you? Especially in the middle of the Common Room?" Ginny sprinted up the boys' dorm stairs after her kangeroo brother.

She dashed down the hall, running to the seventh years' room. "Percy!" she hissed, stepping into the room and looking around. "Percy, it's just me!"

The kangeroo was by one of the four poster beds, shaking. It dove under the bed as a dark-haired boy entered the room and said, "I knew that a girl had come in here! Wait; you're Ron's sister, aren't you?"

"Dean Thomas," Ginny said, drawing her wand in an instant. "Get out of here or I'll hex you within an inch of your life."

He sighed. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," Ginny replied. "Get out. Now." She advanced on him, raising her wand as she prepared to say her hex.

Dean turned and ran out of the room, hollering, "What did I ever do to you?"

Scowling, Ginny warded the room, then knelt down beside the bed. "Percy, come out of there," she said softly. "I warded the room, no one can come in. Please. You don't want to transform while you're still under the bed, and I know you'll change back soon."

Finally, the kangeroo hopped out from under the bed, staying out of Ginny's reach. Suddenly, Percy rapidly appeared as the kangeroo disappeared. "I'm going to curse them up one side of Gryffindor Tower and down the other!" Percy ranted furiously. "Ginny, I've had it with them! I want you to teach me that hex you taught them. And next time I see them, I'm going to put them both in the Hospital Wing! And you can tell them that too!"

Ginny walked over to Percy and slipped her arms around him. "I'm sorry," she told him. "Perhaps tomorrow night? Oh wait, I have to visit one of my friends in the Hospital Wing tomorrow night. Maybe two nights from tonight?"

Percy wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. "Yes, Ginny. I'm so glad that you understand me," he whispered. "Thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome," Ginny replied. "They have no idea how stupid it was to do that to you in the middle of the Common Room."

"Do those Slytherin twins have anything like that that I could use on Fred and George?" Percy asked Ginny persistantly. "Do you or they know any really good curses that could stop Fred and George from playing these stupid pranks?"

Ginny shrugged. "I doubt that we could keep them from coming up with them," she said, "but we might be able to keep them from testing them on you. We'll just have to give them other test subjects to distract them. Of course, you'll be done with school after this year and shouldn't have to worry about it."

Percy sighed. "I wish I could graduate early."

"Percy," Ginny giggled, "you're already so into your studies, that if you studied anymore, you'd become a book!"

He shook his head at her, then grinned. "Gin, Gin, you're crazy. But at least you can see where I keep my brains," he teased.

Ginny looked at him in shock. "Where? Where do you keep them?"

He groaned, and she burst out laughing. "Love you, Perce," she told him. "Together we make life interesting."

"Absolutely," he replied. "Perhaps you should go warn the twins now."

"All right," Ginny agreed. She gave Percy another squeeze and began to leave the room.

"Stay," Percy said firmly. When she turned to him in confusion, he smirked at her and said, "The wards, Estella?" Blushing, she dropped the wards, then hurried from the room.

* * *

Ginny dragged Fred and George over into a corner of the Common Room, making them look very alarmed. "Look," Ginny told them. "I'm cranky 'cause I already had detention today, so don't make this any harder than it has to be."

"Ginny, you look like you ran into the opposite of a Glamour Charm," Fred told her, trying to lighten the mood.

"What did you do?" George asked, impressed with Ginny's already having detention.

She frowned at the two of them. "Stop testing your items on Percy, you two," she warned. "He told me that the next time he gets you alone, he'll put you both in the Hospital Wing."

Fred and George looked at each other in amusement. "You don't believe that, do you, Ginny?" George asked her.

"Percy never means what he says after our items wear off," Fred explained to her.

Ginny shrugged. "Don't believe me then. But I know Percy, better than you two do, certainly. Don't say I didn't warn you. Be careful." She winked at them. "The Caramel lasted for quite some time, so you might even want to shorten the length of the spell so it wears off faster."

The twins grinned at their sister. "Thanks, Ginny!" they chorused before hurrying off together. Ginny shook her head. If they didn't believe that Percy meant what he said, that was their own problem.


	12. Family

The next day, at lunch, Brianna scurried over to the Gryffindor House table, making several of the Gryffindors stare at her and begin to gossip. Giving several of them a death glare, she leaned down next to Ginny and whispered, "Samantha is ready for visitors. I'm going right after lunch if you want to go with me."

Ginny nodded without looking up and Brianna hurried away, Hermione looking across the table at her and frowning. "What did she want?"

"Absolutely nothing, Hermione," Ginny replied happily. "Go stick your nose in a book." Hermione frowned, then turned back to Harry and Ron, who hadn't been listening at all.

Quickly, Ginny finished eating, then walked down to where Percy was sitting. "I can meet you tonight," she told him.

Percy nodded, swallowing his food, then replying, "All right. I'll talk to you later." He subtely indicated the other seventh year boy beside him, and Ginny nodded. "Thanks!" he added as an afterthought when she was walking away.

She waved without turning around, continuing out of the Great Hall. Ginny walked slowly on purpose, quickly taking the charm off of her hair and transfiguring her house crest as she waited for Brianna to catch up.

It wasn't long until Brianna came alongside Estella and said, "I don't know how she is right now, but I'm assuming that she's not trying to hurt anyone now."

"What happened for her to end up in the Hospital Wing?" Estella asked curiously.

Disturbed, Brianna answered, "That's Samantha's story."

With a sigh, Estella accepted Brianna's response and the two entered the Hospital Wing together. Madam Pomfrey came over to them almost immediately, and said to Brianna, "You must be here to visit your twin. But who is this?"

"This is our cousin, Estella Parkington," Brianna replied. "She's close to the two of us, and has known us for several years."

Madam Pomfrey nodded, then motioned them to follow her. "She's in a privacy ward," the medi-witch told them, "but I'll change the wards to let you in." Raising her wand, the witch re-did the wards in a corner of the room, and said, "Go on in. She knows you're here."

Brianna and Estella hurried straight toward the corner of the room and disappeared behind the privacy ward. "How are you doing?" Brianna asked, coming to stand beside her sister's bed. "Are—are you—?" her voice trailed off.

"I'm kind of normal," Samantha sighed. "Madam Pomfrey said that she'd never seen a dementor effect someone the way they effected me. I'm a special case."

"A case study for St. Mungo's," Estella giggled, remembering Percy's words to Ron. Both twins looked at her in horror. "What?" she asked. "What did I say?"

"That's a reference to Neville Longbottom's parents," hissed Samantha, frowning. "It's extremely rude and downright insulting to say to someone, especially a Slytherin who happens to hate Aurors!"

Brianna patted her sister's shoulder and said softly, "She didn't know what it meant, Sam. She doesn't even know the entire story about the Longbottoms, and she definitely doesn't know why you're acting like...my demented twin."

Samantha giggled, then frowned and said, "Don't call me Sam."

"I—I'm sorry," Estella almost whispered, sorry that she'd erred so greatly.

"Where did you hear that?" Samantha asked finally, looking directly at her cousin.

Estella bit her lip. "Um, my brother Percy said it to my brother Ron," she replied. "It was just this summer."

"How would he know Slytherin insults?" asked Brianna, frowning.

Samantha smirked. "The Gryffindor Head Boy isn't all he's cracked up to be," she said with a laugh. "Bet you he's secretly got Slytherin friends."

Estella pressed her lips together, then asked, "Samantha, what happened to put you in here?"

Brianna looked awkwardly at her twin, who flopped herself down on her pillows. "I went crazy and attacked Lauren Avery," Samantha replied finally. "She tried to curse me back, but Brianna protected me. Then Brianna cursed me and brought me here."

"I didn't curse you; I stunned you," muttered Brianna. "I don't think you want to make an enemy of Lauren Avery."

"She was yapping about Aurors and Death Eaters," complained Samantha, frowning at her twin. "You should have let me curse her."

Brianna shook her head. "This isn't the 60's or 70's, Samantha. We can't go around cursing people just because we don't like how they talk!"

Estella frowned again, feeling very disconnected from her cousins. "What is the memory that causes you to do things like this?" she queried. "What have you got against Aurors?"

"What have I got against Aurors?" yelped Samantha, sitting straight up in her bed. "What have I got against Aurors?"

Brianna firmly grasped Samantha's right hand and said, "It's okay. She won't ask when she knows."

"But I don't know," said Estella, feeling very impatient.

"Fine," spat Samantha, turning on her side. "You tell her."

Sighing, Brianna began, "Aurors attacked our family when we were very young. They were after our parents because the Ministry thought they were Death Eaters."

Samantha's shaky voice was heard. "They hurt Mum," she said, sounding lost. "But I stopped them—" and her voice was resolute "—and kept them from telling anyone what had happened."

"I'm sorry," Estella told her, taking her hand and squeezing it.

"Don't be," came Samantha's firm voice. "I'm not. It's just that remembering what happened always makes me unpredictably explosive."

Giggling, Estella replied, "All right. I'll see you later then. I have to go meet someone to work on Defense homework. Goodbye." She squeezed Samantha's hand again and nodded to Brianna.

"Goodbye," the twins chorused as they watched Estella leave.

Brianna turned to her twin and shook her head, hiding her face in the sheets. "Samantha, we didn't tell her anything about what happened! We practically just told her all the half-truthful lies that we've told everyone since that time!"

"I can't tell her," whispered Samantha. "She won't understand!"

"How do you know she won't?"

"How do you know she will?" retorted Samantha. "How do you know that she won't betray our family to the Ministry?"

Brianna sighed. "I don't think Estella's like that, but you may be right, Samantha."

Samantha sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I just don't want to be hunted like a criminal," she whispered. "Like Sirius Black is hunted."

"You won't be," Brianna said fiercely before her voice softened. "I promise, Nana."

"I'm not a grandma," Samantha informed her twin, doing an impression of McGonagall. "Call me Nano or something."

"That's...different," Brianna said awkwardly. "I'm still not finding a good nickname for you."

Samantha shrugged. "We'll come up with something. Hey, are you going to stay here tonight? And did you bring my homework?"

Brianna nodded. "Here it is," she said, pulling some papers out of her bag. "I really hope you can get out tomorrow. It's crazy without my twin."

Grinning, Samantha replied, "I've been on nothing but chocolate and that blue spell for twenty four hours. Well, I did eat, Brie. Just not that much."

Shaking her head, Brianna sat down on the bed. "I want you to get well," Brianna told her.

"Nah. You want me to get over myself," retorted Samantha with a smile.

"True," Brianna admitted with a smirk, pulling out her homework. "We have an essay due in a week for Transfig," she sighed. "McGonagall's up to her usual tricks. And Lupin asked where you were, so I told him that you were here. He didn't even take away House points!"

Samantha clapped her hand to her forehead and fell backward onto her pillows. "A Gryffindor teacher that didn't take away House points? Shoot me now. The world is ending."

Giggling, Brianna opened her Transfiguration book and began to read it aloud to her twin, Samantha taking notes on the lesson so that they could begin their essays.

* * *

As Estella walked away from the Hospital Wing, Icythan hissed, "The _tsez_ did not tell Missstress the whole truth. They are keeping secretsss from you."

"They will tell me in time," Estella hissed back discretely as she headed up toward Gryffindor, stopping on the way to charm her hair and transfigure her House crest. "They are Slytherins, and Slytherins don't just tell anyone everything about themselves—not even friends know everything. That's all right with me."

Icythan did not reply, watching everything that was going on from beneath Ginny's collar. She was going back to the nest she hated, he knew. He could feel that she had a purpose in returning and remembered that she had told one of her littermates that she would meet him tonight.

* * *

Ginny entered the Common Room, realizing that Percy wasn't there. Suppressing a groan when she saw Fred and George over by Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Ginny walked over to them.

"Ginny! Our baby sister!" greeted George

"Come to see the great Harry Potter!" added Fred.

"How may we be of service?" they asked her.

"Is Percy up in his room?" Ginny asked, not even taking time to scowl at them.

Icythan stirred at her neck, and Ginny resisted the urge to put her hand to her neck and speak to him. "Thisss isss Potter? You did not sssay that he wasss jussst your age," Icythan told her. " _Tsez_ isss ssstill a better match for you."

Feeling her face turn red, Ginny tried not to look at Harry, who had suddenly looked very, very alarmed. Turning to Fred and George, she waited for an answer.

"Well, he might be," Fred told her teasingly, dragging out his answer. "George, did you see him come through the Common Room?"

"Did I now?" George asked quizzically, appearing to try to remember. "I don't believe so..."

Ginny wanted nothing more than to curse the two of them, but knew that she could not hold the twins at wand point in front of the three younger Gryffindors. "Boys, there's this one spell I've learned," she began, and Fred gulped.

"Um, yes, he's up in his room," Fred replied immediately.

"At least, he's up in the dorm," George added quickly in case Percy wasn't in his room at the moment.

"Thank you," Ginny said, beginning to turn away.

Ron gasped, "Ginny, you can't go into the boys' dorm!"

Hermione bit her lip and said, "Gin, why don't you let one of the boys bring Percy down?"

"They're always bringing him down," Ginny told the three. "I'm trying to build him up." She turned and walked away quickly.

Fred stopped Ron from calling after her. "She's been there before. She'll be fine."

* * *

Ginny skipped up the steps, hurrying down the hall. A door opened, and a boy looked out of his room, only to slam the door once he saw her. Giggling, Ginny remembered how she'd threatened Dean Thomas before. She knocked on the seventh year boys' dorm and waited.

The boy who'd been sitting by Percy at lunch answered the door. He did a double take, then asked, "What do you want?"

"To see the Weasel," Ginny said, mimicking Draco perfectly.

The boy stared at her, then looked back at the others in the room, replying, "Well, you can't come in here right now, but I'll tell him." He looked back and said, "Percy, your sister's out here wanting to see you. But you might want to go out armed: she's mimicking Draco Malfoy."

Ginny heard Percy laugh and smiled to herself. "Let her in," he said, and the boy frowned.

"Not on your life," he told Percy. "I don't want her in my dorm room."

"She's been in here before," Percy replied without changing his facial expression. "Come in, Ginny!" he called, raising his wand and wrenching the door from the boy's grasp, opening it wide. "Are you mimicking Draco Malfoy?" he teased her.

Her grin immediately turned into a smirk, which slowly began to resemble something like the face Draco normally wore. "What's it to you, Weasley?" she sneered at him.

"Goodness, Ginny," he said in surprise. "You're too good at mimicking people. Do you remember mimicking that one aunt of mum's? Aunt Muriel? She was furious that you would dare to make fun of her."

Ginny stuck out her tongue before she could stop herself. "She was so horribly boring and stuck-up and prissy that I couldn't help it!" Ginny protested, crossing her arms. "And I didn't know that she was watching me!"

Percy laughed. "So what did you come to me for?"

"To ask you about the hex," Ginny replied, coming to sit on the arm of his chair and lean against him. "Do you want to meet tonight?" she whispered in his ear. "Or we could go right now."

"I heard that one of the Charlestons is in the Hospital," Percy said aloud. "Is that why she came over to you at lunch?"

"Yeah," answered Ginny. "I went to see her after lunch. She didn't go to the Hospital Wing after the dementors came through the train, and we should have made her, but we didn't."

Percy nodded thoughtfully, then stood, pushing Ginny off of him. He non-verbally _accio_ -ed his cloak, quickly wrapping it around his shoulders. "Where are we going for it?" he asked her.

"Outside," Ginny replied as they left the room. "I wouldn't do it inside for anything: it's quite dangerous unless you have a large space."

"Um, Gin, I really don't want to go outside," Percy said as they walked down the boys' dorm stairs. "Is there anywhere inside Hogwarts that you could use?"

Ginny shrugged, and Tom immediately snapped, _Ginny,_ _don't_ _bring him down here! You're letting everyone know everything about us, and you even have your memories back this time!_

 _Tom, what are you afraid of?_ Ginny sighed. _Percy is good at keeping his mouth shut._

Tom shut the Channel, and Ginny kicked the carpet in frustration as they walked across the Common Room. "Are you all right, Ginny?" Percy asked her softly.

"Yes," she replied. "I just feel like—it's okay, though."

"You can tell me," he said as they headed away from Gryffindor Tower.

"We're going to the Chamber of Secrets," Ginny finally told him, making him stare at her. "And I feel like I'm betraying Tom, but I know that it's all right for you to be there. He doesn't—wouldn't feel that way if he knew."

Percy put his arm around her. "He's dead and can't hurt you, Ginny, but are you sure you want to go back to the Chamber?"

Ginny nodded and looked up at him. "His memory—my memories of him—is always with me, Percy," she said. "I find myself thinking, _What would Tom do if he were in this situation?_ Many times it helps me, and so I keep doing it. He's helped me so much, Percy, and—" She bit her lip, heading down the third floor corridor where the writings were on the wall.

They walked into the bathroom, Ginny hurrying up to one of the sinks and hissing, "Open!" When the pipe opened up, she tapped her wand on the edge of it, opening up steps in it. "Come," she told Percy. "I don't want anyone to see us."

Percy followed her without a word, walking down the steps in her wandlight after she hissed the Chamber shut. At the end of the pipe, Ginny jumped down and motioned Percy to follow her. They walked out of the entrance room, and she warned, "The stone basilisk is at the end of this path between the stone serpents. I turned the basilisk into stone and put him up as a guardian of the Chamber."

Just as Ginny reached the end of the path with Percy, he looked up and gasped. "Ginny, that's what the basilisk looks like? Wow!"

Ginny smiled proudly. "Yes, this is Benjy, my basilisk friend," she said. "He was one of my best friends last year."

"Ginny, I can't imagine having him alive and roaming around the castle," Percy exclaimed softly in astonishment.

"I can," Ginny said flatly. "No thanks to Harry."

"Do you hold it against him that he saved your life by killing the basilisk?" he asked Ginny with a frown.

 _Tom?_ Ginny asked, feeling him open the Channel a little. _Can I tell Percy about you and your cousin?_

 _You'll do whatever you please,_ Tom replied obstinately. _There's no giving you permission or telling you not to do something._

 _Tom!_ groaned Ginny, _I'm not that bad!_

Tom didn't reply, and Ginny sighed. "Yes, Percy, a little," she replied. "I know that it couldn't be helped, but I'm still ticked off about it."

"What about the hex?" Percy asked her.

"Oh, yes," Ginny said. "I'd nearly forgotten about that. Well, like I told the twins, this hex is like the Knockback Jinx: it knocks people and objects backwards. Most of the time it knocks the victim unconscious even if they don't hit a wall or something."

"All right," Percy said. "Now what's the incantation and the wand motion?"

"Um," said Ginny, looking at him awkwardly. "There is no incantation. It's non-verbal. But the wand movement is a swirl-and-stab motion, almost like a curse. The steadier you hold it—"

"—the more control you have," Percy finished, nodding. "I'm amazed at you, Ginny. Not only do you do non-verbal spells, but you make up non-verbal spells."

Ginny grinned. "I've never tested my Splinching Hex," she teased him. "Would you like to be the example?"

Percy shoved her playfully. "Why certainly, and end up in pieces strewn across all of Hogwarts? Sounds absolutely smashing."

"As long as your heart doesn't end up in Gryffindor," Ginny continued her teasing. "Just make sure that when you learn to apparate, you do it properly."

"Of course, Gin," he replied royally. "When do I ever do something improperly?"

She smiled at him. "Never mind, Percy. Here. I'll show you the way I do it." Ginny swirl-and-stabbed her wand at a rock, throwing it across the Chamber and hitting the wall beside the statue of Salazar Slytherin. "Almost got him," she giggled, making Percy grin slightly.

He raised his wand, frowning as he concentrated on his task. He swirl-and-stabbed his wand very firmly at a rock, and it skipped along the ground a little. Scowling, Percy tried it again, and the rock whizzed through the air, a loud clang and clatter sounding as it hit the statue squarely on its stone nose.

Glancing at Ginny, Percy grinned sheepishly. "I just conked Salazar Slytherin in the nose!" he laughed, making Ginny giggle.

"You know," she said, "this would be useful for snowball fights and other things if we could simply control the speed, height, and distance."

Nodding thoughtfully, Percy replied, "Try to get a rock across the water onto that dry spot."

Ginny raised her wand and proceeded to throw several rocks into the water. She shrugged, sighing, "I'll need a bit more practice to get it right."

Percy stabbed his wand at another rock, making it fly right across the water to the dry spot. "Percy!" exclaimed Ginny. "You're crazy! How can you do that?"

He simply replied, "I calculated the magical energy needed to send the rock in an arc over the water and projected that energy into the spell."

She groaned and covered her eyes with her arm. "Percy, you're so intelligent," she complained. "It's not fair."

"What's not fair?" Percy asked her. "That you can come down here whenever you wish? That you have a way of easily fitting in with the Slytherins—your real House and family? That you know advanced wards and spells that a second year shouldn't know? Ginny—Estella, you're privileged beyond all belief!"

Ginny smiled slightly, slipping her hand into her brother's. "Thanks," she told him sincerely.

"You're welcome, and thank you," he replied. "Shall we go now?" Ginny nodded, and he began to lead her back the way they'd come.

"Wait," Ginny said, stopping and turning in another direction. "If we walk through those pipes over there, we can go through the kitchens and get a snack to take back to the dorm."

"All right," Percy agreed as Ginny tugged on his hand to lead him away. "Hey, have you written your letter to Bill and Charlie yet?"

"Nope," Ginny replied, tilting her head to grin up at him.

Percy scolded her, then said, "How about you get a snack that you can eat while you write so you can come to my dorm room and write your letter—unless you have homework to do, of course. Then you can do homework with me if you want."

Ginny grinned as she let go of Percy's hand and bounced down the passageway ahead of him. "All right," she said. "We have a little paragraph to write for Transfig, but it doesn't have to be done for a week or two. And we have other assignments, but they're not coming up too soon. I'll be able to write the letter."

Her brother hurried up behind her, and she grabbed him by the robe, motioning him to be quiet. "When we get closer to the kitchen, we'll be able to hear if there are other people in there. Unfortunately, they might be able to hear us too, so we have to be quiet. Last year when I would come up here, if I wasn't quiet enough, people in the kitchen would accuse each other of hearing things."

Percy snickered as they walked along. "Whoooooooooo!" he called, cupping his hand to his mouth. "Trouble awaits where lie anger and hate! Whoooooooooo!"

Giggling, Ginny clapped both hands over her mouth and tried not to laugh out loud. "Percy, you're terrible!" she whispered, before snickering and covering her mouth again.

"What was that?" came a voice from up in the kitchen, making Ginny bury her face in Percy's sleeve as she tried to calm herself down.

"It's probably just the wind in the pipes," answered a calm, cool voice.

Percy turned to Ginny in surprise, his fists suddenly clenched. "It's _Malfoy_ ," he hissed. "Who's with him? It's not one of the two goons he usually has with him."

"Jumpy much, Lestrange?" Malfoy continued, and Percy frowned.

"Why is Malfoy hanging out with Lestrange?" wondered the Head Boy aloud. "You'd think they were cousins or something, even though they're not, really."

Ginny grinned. "You know how Lestrange is related to Malfoy?" she asked.

Percy nodded and replied, "Distantly, by marriage. They're not blood relatives."

"How could the wind produce words that rhyme?" Lestrange retorted. "How could it produce words at all?"

"Unless your mind made the wind into words," Malfoy answered easily.

"And yours did the same," Lestrange snapped. "Two of us, hearing the same thing. We aren't the only ones to hear things while sitting in here."

Ginny could imagine Draco's smirk as he replied, "Precisely: we were hearing things."

" _Open,_ " Ginny hissed softly, stepping out of the Chamber into the kitchen. She hurriedly put up a Silencing Charm as the house-elves popped in to ask them what they wanted. Once Percy received his food from the house-elf, Ginny said, "Go back toward Gryffindor. I'm going to speak to Draco and Meris."

He looked confused for a moment, then nodded. "Be careful, Gin," he told her.

She grinned at him and made shooing motions with her hands, telling the house elf that was patiently waiting on her, "I'd like tea, cucumber sandwiches, and a banana."

"That's an awkward combination, Ginny," Percy said.

"Hush," she replied, drawing her wand and charming her hair and crest. "Now go on, and I'll be there in a minute."

Percy hurried off, and Ginny dropped the ward, walking into the other room where Meris and Draco were. "Hello," she greeted them easily, smiling slightly.

"Estella," Meris acknowledged her with a smirk. "Was that you who was making those noises?"

Estella frowned a little. "That wasn't me. That was Percy who did that."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "The Head Case? Is he still here? Were you listening to us?"

"He's not a Head Case," Estella said to Draco sharply. "And he went on up to the Tower. He was only making those noises because I told him that people often hear things going on down below in the pipes and passages. So Percy decided to make some noises. We didn't know you were up here, and only after hearing your voices did we realize that you were. We didn't hear anything but your talking about the wind in the tunnels."

"Were you down in the tunnels?" Meris asked. "What are they like?"

"Cold, dark, and long," Ginny replied. "Yes, we were down there. Percy was working on a hex with me."

"Parkington," Draco began, "I would like to know where the opening to the tunnels is."

Estella shrugged, making Meris frown. "Oh, stop it," she told him firmly. "I can't help it: my shoulders have a mind of their own." She turned to Draco and replied, "I could tell you, but unless you speak Parseltongue, you can't access these special passageways."

Draco frowned at her darkly. "But you took the Weasel down there, didn't you? He's not a Parselmouth."

"He's my brother and I trust him," Estella insisted. "Moreover, I can control his reactions because I'm familiar with him. It's not the same for you."

Meris made no comment, but Draco watched Estella carefully. "Estella, you must be careful of how much you claim the Weasleys," he warned her. "Many Slytherins doubt you—including me."

A house-elf popped in and handed Estella her food, then popped back out. Estella stood across from Draco, replying, "That's all right. As you just heard, sometimes I doubt you too." Estella turned and walked out of the room without looking back.

* * *

Ginny quickly walked up to the Gryffindor Common Room, making sure to change her hair and crest back. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were no longer in the Common Room, for which Ginny was very glad. Fred and George looked over at her and raised their eyebrows at her—she stuck out her tongue at them in reply.

Hurrying up the stairs to the boys' dorm, she passed Dean and Seamus, who gave her strange looks. She tilted her head and grinned at Dean, continuing up the stairs. She was walking down the hall as a door opened and Ron walked out into the hall, a towel over his shoulder and a change of clothes under his arm.

"What are you doing up here?" he hissed at her. "Staying the night? Go to your own dorm, Ginny!"

"Percy told me to come up to his room and do homework with him," Ginny replied, annoyed with Ron.

"And you always do everything you're told?" Ron asked with a scowl.

Ginny raised her chin defiantly. "No," she retorted. "I _never_ listen to  you." She heard snickering behind her, and turned in time to see Dean and Seamus scurry down the stairs.

Ron growled in annoyance and shoved past Ginny, walking down the hall to the bathroom and disappearing into it.

"Ill-mannered prat," she grumbled to herself as she continued down to Percy's room. She kicked the door in a sort of knock since her hands were full.

Percy opened the door and grinned, opening it wide for her. "The other boys all left," he told her. "They went down to the library complaining that I'd kicked them out. I didn't kick them out."

Ginny laughed, setting her plate and cup down on her brother's little desk. She pulled up another chair and sat down next to her brother. "All right," she said, pulling a piece of parchment out of her bookbag. "Let's see...should I write Bill or Charlie first?"

"Your choice," Percy replied with a shrug. "And if you get too uncomfortable in the chair you can always flop down on one of the beds."

"Okay," Ginny said, pulling out her quill and ink. "I'll begin with Charlie, I guess." She thought about what to say for a moment, then began to write.

Percy watched her a minute, then began to attend to his own homework. About an hour later, Ginny sighed, then stood and went over to one of the beds, flopping down on her stomach and continuing her letter. He looked over at her, but she didn't look up. He turned back to his notes, checking them over again for class the next morning. "Ginny?" he asked, "are you finished with one letter yet?"

"Actually," Ginny replied, "I've finished several words."

"Ginny!" he scolded, laughing in spite of himself.

She laughed, then answered, "Yes. I'm trying to get the other one finished now."

Percy grinned. "Do you know whose bed you're lying on? The one that tried to keep you out earlier. He's got kind of a girl-phobia."

"But we all know that you don't," Ginny giggled, turning over onto her back and stretching. "Here." She turned around in the bed and coughed especially hard. "Now you can tell him that a girl _coughed_ on his pillow."

"And you say I'm terrible!" Percy snickered. "I'll tell him." Smirking in satisfaction, Ginny didn't reply, going back to her letter.

About an hour later, Percy looked over at his sister and found that she was sleeping. "Wonderful," he muttered to himself, standing up to go to her. "Ginny?" he asked softly.

She didn't reply, and he picked up the parchment lying beside her hand with her quill in it, beginning to read it.

 _Dear Charlie:_

 _I don't even know how to begin this letter to you, but I guess I need to apologize for the way I completely snubbed you when I came back from St. Mungo's during the summer. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Icythan scolded me the entire time that I was hiding my face from you because he knew that you were a friend to both him and me. I wouldn't listen to him because I didn't trust him: the healers had taken every memory about my serpent away from me—I didn't even remember acquiring him._

 _I also need to tell you—if you haven't already guessed it—that I have my memories back. I'm so sorry that I acted like such a prat. I can't believe I made a peace pact with Ron; that was one of the stupidest things I have ever done._

 _Thank you so much for putting up with me and understanding my difficulties. You were a great comfort to me when my dream had terrified me. Thank you for putting up with my tears and holding me when I needed to be reassured. I was shocked when I remembered that you knew I was referring to the Cruciatus. I've had it done to me before—by the Dark Lord, last year; hence my bad dreams about him._

 _I obliviated Mum, Dad, and Ron so that they don't know that I know that I'm Estella Parkington. It's better that way, I think. It was too early for Ron to know, and for Mum to have to deal with it. I felt sorry for Dad, though. I wanted to leave his memories there, but I couldn't risk Mum finding out._

 _Thank you for understanding my ramblings and helping me through the tough situation. I now understand why Icythan had me thank you when I said goodbye to you during the summer._

 _Love you, Bro_

 _Estella Parkington_

Percy took a deep breath and looked back at the sleeping girl. "You call yourself Estella and still call us brothers," he sighed, smoothing her hair out of her eyes and taking her quill out of her hand. "Oh, bother," he said, realizing that the ink in her quill had dripped down the side of her face. "That's quite a spot you have there, Gin."

He pointed his wand at the spot and said, " **Pergo**." The spot disappeared. "Thank goodness," he sighed. Touching his Head Boy badge, he called to Miskenet, "Are you up in Gryffindor Tower right now?

"Yes," she replied. "Did you need me to do something?"

"My sister fell asleep up here in the boys' dorm, and I need you to come get her from me at the bottom of the stairs," Percy replied, trying not to imagine how amused Miskenet would be at the moment.

"Okay," she finally answered. "I'll be right there."

Percy quickly folded up Ginny's letter and put it in her pocket. He put her ink bottle and her quill back into her bookbag, putting a Weightless Charm on it so that he could easily put it on Ginny's shoulder and have her hang onto it. He opened the door, then picked Ginny up, carrying her out of the room and down the stairs. Percy was very thankful that there was no one in the hallway when he came out of his room.

Miskenet snickered and covered her mouth when she saw Percy coming down the stairs. "Wow," she said softly. "She's out."

Percy nodded. "Try not to wake her up, although if there are wards on her bed, I doubt you'll be able to put her in bed. You might have to wake her then. If she asks, tell her her letters are in her pocket and her supplies are in her bag."

Pointing her wand at Ginny, Miskenet levitated her right out of Percy's arms. In response to his frown, she said, "You may have muscles, but I have magic. And you wouldn't be too thrilled with me if I dropped her." And she walked away, levitating Ginny up the girls' dorm stairs.

She heard voices arguing inside Ginny's dorm room and rolled her eyes, not wanting to face the two dorm brats with Ginny sleeping. Miskenet opened the door and walked on into the room, levitating Ginny.

Every voice instantly became silent, and Marianne shut her bedcurtains, not wanting to get in trouble. "Is her bed warded?" Miskenet asked Karidia and Marlene.

"Yes," replied Karidia. "Don't go near it: it hurt Kefira and she's still in the Hospital Wing recovering from magical shock!"

"Wonderful," sighed Miskenet, gently letting Ginny down and holding her up for a minute. "Ginny, you need to wake up so you can get in bed. Ginny, wake up!"

Marlene snickered. "She won't wake up. Just leave her on the floor."

"You shut up," Ginny muttered sleepily, standing up.

Marlene's mouth dropped open. "You were asleep!"

"Until you opened your big mouth and disrupted my sleep," Ginny retorted.

"Weasley," began Marlene angrily, but Miskenet motioned her to be quiet.

"Ginny, Percy said to tell you that your letters are in your pocket and that your supplies are in your bag," Miskenet told her. "Your bookbag is over your shoulder." Marlene snickered, but turned away and got into her bed when Ginny and the prefect scowled at her.

Ginny took her book bag off her shoulder, and set it on her bed inside the ward. Pulling off her outer robe, she took it inside the ward and hung it up on one of the posts. Poking her head out of the ward, she told Miskenet, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied before turning to go back to her dorm room.

With a sigh, Ginny pulled her wand out of her robe pocket and put a Waking Charm on her blankets. Snuggling down under her blankets, she soon fell asleep.


	13. Humiliation and Discovery

The next morning, Ginny groaned when her Waking Charm went off, not wanting to get out of bed and face the day. She sat up to stop the blankets from rustling around to wake her up and yawned. Looking over at her nightstand, she saw her vial of basilisk venom.

She gasped in surprise. _Tom?_ she asked, wondering if he was up. _How did that get there?_

 _The house elves found it in one of your robes and brought it into your room,_ Tom replied. _The venom has several good uses, but none for right now._

 _Like what?_ asked Ginny curiously.

 _Like...if you give a few drops of it to your enemies, it'll kill them,_ Tom explained. _But if you give them a drop of a natural Parselmouth's blood for every drop of venom you give them, it will only make them very sick. They won't die. And also—_

 _All right, I get the point, Tom,_ Ginny giggled. _I'm not wicked enough to do that to my enemies. Maybe there are other uses?_

Tom grinned to himself. _Yes,_ he replied. _But how about you get ready and go to class before you receive detention again._

Ginny smirked to herself and replied, _Yes, Daddy._

 _Don't call me that,_ Tom said sharply. _I'm definitely_ _not_ _your dad._

Shrugging, Ginny jumped out of bed, just as Tom added, _By the way, beware of curse traps and thank you for not telling Percy about me._

 _You're welcome,_ Ginny replied. _You know I never annoy you on purpose._

 _Ginny, don't tell falsehoods,_ Tom teased her. _You know that you love upsetting me._

She just grinned to herself and began to prepare for class. DADA was first today, and she hoped that she'd practised enough with the boys. Ginny remembered stunning and enervating Colin Creavy about twenty times before he was finally able to block the spell. Now that she thought about it, he might have done better if she'd told him to pretend that she was the Heir of Slytherin.

Giggling at her own amusement, Ginny quickly changed her robes and put her shoes on. Grabbing her toothbrush and toothpaste and hairbrush, she hurried toward the bathroom. Banging open the bathroom door, Ginny breezed into the room—and stopped promptly when she found Hermione at the sink, her toothbrush in her mouth. "Mornin', Hermione," Ginny greeted her, bouncing over to the last sink.

Hermione made a garbled reply and Ginny suppressed a snicker, turning the water on at her sink. "Run, water, run!" she told it, receiving a strange look from Hermione. Wondering how weird she could make herself appear to Hermione, she began to brush her teeth while singing a song about water lilies, making herself sound like she was drowning.

To her surprise, two voices joined in, and Ginny realized that there were girls in the stalls. She sang louder, and they crescendoed as well. Halfway through the song, Ginny choked on the toothpaste and started coughing, spraying toothpaste all over the mirror. "Drad!" Ginny shouted once she recovered. Yanking out her wand, she snapped, " **Pergo**!"

The stall door opened, and Lavendar and Parvati came out of it. Ginny stared at them in horror, her wand still out. "You were in there together?" she gasped, then spit out her toothpaste and washed her mouth out. "Uncouth!"

"It's uncouth to sing while brushing your teeth and to spray toothpaste all over the mirror," Hermione replied coolly, trying to distance herself from the members of the trio that were now laughing at each other.

"Nobody cares!" shrieked Ginny excitedly, bouncing around and making faces at herself in the mirror.

Lavendar and Parvati glanced at each other. "What did you have to drink last night, Ginny?" Lavendar asked, giggling with her friend.

"Hyper Potion!" Ginny announced, beginning to brush out her hair. "It tastes like chocolate, and bubblegum, and—and—bananas!"

"Bananas?" giggled the two girls. "Cool!"

"Ginny, that's not even a real potion," Hermione said disapprovingly. "Why would you even say something like that?"

Ginny frowned at her. "How would _you_ know, Hermione? Have you read all the potions books there are in the world?"

Hermione bit her lip and replied, "No, but—"

"Well, then you should ask Professor Snape in class whenever you have the chance," Ginny told the two girls who were still giggling.

"No!" protested Hermione, but the two nodded and Ginny bounced out the door chanting, "Ask Snape! Ask Snape! Ask Snape!"

As she hurried back up to her room, laughing to herself, Tom called her through the Channel, laughing as well. _Ginny Love,_ he began, _you completely embarrassed Hermione in front of those girls. Water lilies, indeed. You are_ _so_ _amusing, Ginny! I wonder if they really will ask Snape..._

Ginny burst into giggles again and hurried to put her hairbrush and things away. _I didn't even finish putting my hair up, Tom,_ she said, hurrying to gather her books. _Oh, bother, where did I leave my bookbag?_

 _Your bed,_ Tom replied.

 _Oh,_ Ginny remembered. _That's right_. She hurriedly grabbed her bookbag from off of her bed and pulled her letters to Bill and Charlie out of her robe pocket. _Thank you for reminding me,_ she told Tom. _I'd completely forgotten._

"You're welcome," he told her, and she whirled around.

"Tom—" she began, but he just grinned and came over to her.

"Do you remember how I used to do your hair a couple summers ago?" he asked, and received a small nod and smile. "Well, what do you say I put up your hair now?"

Ginny grinned. "Okay," she answered, staying still for him and taking her bookbag off of her shoulder.

Very carefully, Tom pointed his wand at her hair and began to gently braid it. He smiled as finished off the braid and conjured a ribbon to tie it off. "There you go, Ginny," he told her, turning her to face him. "A silver ribbon to go with your beautiful red hair and your blue robe."

"Thank you!" she said happily, giving him a big hug.

"You're welcome," he answered with a soft smile, returning her hug. "Now get along to breakfast or class or whatever before you're late."

Ginny smiled and hugged him again, then hurried off. Tom watched her go, then disapparated back to the Chamber.

Hurrying down the stairs, Ginny hurried across the Common Room, darting in front of Fred and George's Chaser friends. "Hey, Katie, Angelina!" she called, darting out the door. She was two corridors away from them before she remembered that Angelina was a prefect and that she could have gotten in trouble for running in the halls. Giggling, Ginny continued to dash down the hall. She decided to stop at the kitchens for food, then go on to class.

Armed with a tart and a glass of juice, Ginny walked carefully up to the DADA classroom because the halls were more crowded with students and prefects. There was no sense in getting herself yelled at in the middle of the hall, so she quietly opened the door and stepped into the room.

Several of her dorm mates were already there, and Stanley grinned at her from the corner of the room. "Ginny!" he called to her. "Come sit over here with us!"

Ginny smiled and walked over to him, sitting down. "Do you think you're ready for this?" she asked him teasingly.

"Sure," he replied. "Not sure about Colin. We practised after you left, but he was still having issues." Stanley's eyes twinkled as he lowered his voice. "I told him that if you'd had a great serpent with you, he would have learned quicker."

Snorting in laughter, Ginny agreed. "What did he do then?"

"Blocked my spell and tried to stun me," Stanley laughed. "He missed, though. The spell hit Ben and knocked him out cold."

Giggling, Ginny put her head down on her desk. "And you enervated him and made peace between them? How quaint." Looking sideways, she saw Stanley eyeing her tart. "If you want to break it in half, you can have part of it," she told him.

He grinned and reached over, doing exactly as she had said. Stanley reached over and tugged the end of her braid. "I like your hair," he told her as she raised her head, ready to yell at whoever had touched her hair.

"Oh," she said. "Thanks." And she blushed. Ginny mentally kicked herself for blushing. _Tommy!_ she protested, _this is all your fault!_

Laughing, Tom replied, _Ginny Love, I must not be the only one who has noticed how beautiful you are. And_ _don't_ _call me_ _Tommy_. _I may look about sixteen years old, but I'm really sixty-seven._

 _Tom, you're ancient!_ gasped Ginny before she burst out laughing just as Marlene walked into the DADA classroom.

Marlene glared at her. "Why do you keep laughing at me?" she growled at Ginny. "Every time I do something or walk into a room you laugh!"

Ginny groaned, then said, "Listen closely, because I hate repeating myself. I sometimes randomly burst out laughing for no reason. You, on the other hand, always enter the room or do something stupid and then think I'm laughing at you. It's not my fault: you have unbelievable timing."

"Would you repeat that?" asked Marlene with a smirk, cupping her hand to her ear. "I didn't quite catch it all."

"I have the perfect curse for you," Ginny mused, drawing her wand and caressing it while eyeing the little brat sitting across the room.

Marlene frowned. "You wouldn't."

"Or I could ask my _friends_ to help me," Ginny thought out loud with a smirk.

"You wouldn't!" shrieked Marlene in horror. " _Ginevra_ —!"

"Don't tempt me, then," Ginny hissed at Marlene, heard over even her shriek.

"You're fraternizing with the enemy," Marlene accused her, slaughtering the word pronounciation.

Ginny laughed coldly. "You don't even know what that means and you can barely pronounce it," she retorted. "And I am your enemy. Since your enemies are getting along rather well, it looks like you have trouble on two fronts."

Marlene sputtered angrily, then glared at Ginny and fell silent.

Professor Lupin started class without mentioning the spat between the two girls.

* * *

Ginny was the last one to leave the DADA classroom, heading off to her Charms class. She walked down to the Charms classroom and opened the door, looking in.

Professor Flitwick looked up and said, "Come in, Ms. Weasley. We haven't started yet."

She nodded at him gratefully, then stepped into the room and let the door shut. Ginny sat down on the Gryffindor side of the room, painfully noticing that the sides were separated.

Marlene turned around and taunted her, "Why don't you go sit with your _friends_ , Ginevra?"

"How about I curse you twice?" Ginny asked Marlene thoughtfully. "But three's a better number."

"Seven's the magical number," Guage said from the other side of the room, receiving a sharp look from Megan. "Do it seven times." Other Slytherins snickered, and Ginny grinned in amusement.

"You're stupid," Marlene grumbled at Ginny, turning back around in her seat.

Ginny glared at the girl's ponytail. "You're _insipid_ ," she snapped.

"What's that mean?" demanded Marlene, turning back around.

"Look it up in the dictionary, _stupid_ ," jeered Brianna while Samantha motioned for Ginny to come and sit with them.

"Ginny," Samantha hissed, touching the seat beside her.

Marlene faced the front of the room, staring angrily ahead, and Ginny drew her wand, whispering an incantation. Then she picked up her bookbag and moved across the aisle to sit by Samantha.

Professor Flitwick looked over at her uncomfortably. "Are you going to be all right over there, Ms. Weasley?"

"Oh, quite," Ginny replied with a smile, although she and the twins were in a bench made for two, not three. She had had to keep herself from snapping, "Better here than over there!"

Everyone opened their textbooks to the page the professor told them, Samantha propping hers up on the edge of the desk because it didn't fit on the desk. Grinning at each other, the three began silently reading the lesson as Flitwick had several of the Gryffindors stand and read out loud.

When Marlene tried to get out of her chair, she yelped and stayed in it. "Is something wrong, Heark?" asked Professor Flitwick sternly.

"I—I—my hair is stuck," Marlene whispered in humiliation after checking to see if she could find what had happened to her hair.

The Slytherins roared with laughter, Brianna and Samantha high-fiving Ginny. Guage grinned at her until Megan glared at her friend. Guage scowled and snarled something in Megan's ear.

Flitwick came down from his desk to see what was wrong because none of the Gryffindors seemed to know what had happened and how to fix it. The end of Marlene's ponytail was magically tied around the back of her chair. The professor tried a couple of spells to release it, but neither of them worked.

"Ms. Weasley, I would love to work this out, but now is not the time," he said disapprovingly. "What is the releasing spell?"

" _Relashio_ is the only one that will work," Ginny replied with a straight face.

More laughter went up from the students, and Marlene's face turned red, the girl putting her hands over her face. Flitwick frowned, then told Marlene to cross her arms over her face and she began to whine about it.

"Well, if you want a cracked skull and a broken nose, then by all means don't cross your arms," Ginny told her. "Or you could just stay there for the rest of your life, and good riddance."

Marlene glared at Ginny out of the corner of her eye because she couldn't turn her head. Putting her arms up over her face, she said to her professor, "Okay."

" **Relashio!** " and Marlene's head and arms whacked the desk in front of her as her hair fell down, hiding her face. "Are you all right?" Professor Flitwick asked her.

"Yes," she replied, not looking up. He left her there and went back to teaching, instead asking some of the Slytherins to read.

Ginny smirked to herself and leaned over her book, satisfied with the way her spell had gone. Samantha gave her a little poke in the side and grinned at her. "Hey, you are coming Friday, aren't you?" she whispered.

"Wouldn't miss it," Ginny whispered back without taking her eyes off the page.

 _We're meeting after supper in the Common Room,_ Brianna wrote on her paper, then using her wand to erase it. Ginny nodded, excitement sparkling in her eyes.

"Glad you got out of the Hospital Wing," she murmured to Samantha.

Samantha snorted. "Thank goodness I'm out," she said. "I was so sick of chocolate!"

Both Brianna and Ginny shaded their face with their hands as they laughed silently and read their books. The section was about an Enlargement Charm: making something bigger than it normally would be. It was not a difficult spell, but one that could easily get out of hand if it was not done with enough control.

"Be careful of how much power you put into it, Ginny," Brianna warned her very seriously, although her eyes were sparkling. "We know that you often overpower on small spells—"

Ginny frowned at them as Flitwick called on Soriah to hand out the test subjects: small flowerheads. Of course, Soriah handed them out to the Slytherins first, and Ginny grinned at her yellow and green flower, setting it on the desk and pointing her wand at it.

" **Engorgio,** " she said, putting her other hand up to make sure she didn't overdo her spell as Brianna had teased her. Ginny tilted her head and considered the size of her flower, then decided it was okay and left the size alone.

Soriah glanced over at the Gryffindor side of the room and, without stepping across the divide between the sides, flicked his wand, sending the flowers to each Gryffindor student. He returned to his seat and began his own work, Ginny and his housemates all smirking.

Ginny could hear Megan and Guage speaking to each other, Megan tense and guarded and Guage annoyed and scolding. Realizing they were talking about her, Ginny was going to eavesdrop, but decided not to. Reaching her foot back, she gave their table a little shove, and Gauge looked up, startled. Ginny caught her eye, and the girl gave Megan a pointed look.

A few minutes later, a hand reached up and dropped a paper over Ginny's shoulder. Carefully opening it behind her Charms book, Ginny read, _I want to talk to you after class, and Pansy Parkinson wants to meet you tomorrow morning at breakfast._

"How about we talk now, in Parssseltongue?" Ginny asked Megan out loud, making sure she was speaking Parseltongue before her voice went above a whisper. "It worksss."

"Why did you tell everyone in the Ssslytherin Common Room that I like Draco?" Megan fumed. "If we weren't in class, I'd curssse you—just wait."

Ginny frowned. "I didn't," she hissed sharply, making the twins glance over at her. "I'm talking to Megan," she whispered to them, then continued, "I sssaid it in Parssseltongue, ssso you mussst have underssstood it asss well, I guess."

Megan wasn't satisfied. "Corin heard, and won't shut up about it," she said. "He hasssn't told anyone because I told him he wouldn't live to regret it."

"Alssso, I wasss under Veritaserum," Ginny told Megan. "If that'sss what I thought or sssaw, that'sss what came out of my mouth. Jussst be thankful that I thought of ssspeaking Parssseltongue. I almossst didn't."

 _Actually, I thought of that,_ said Tom haughtily. _You were panicking that Megan was going to curse you to kingdom come if you told her friends about her light-haired Dark angel._

Trying to ignore Tom because of the grin that was threatening to spread across her face, Ginny added, "And Corin isss your cousin. Is he a Parssselmouth too? And are there any other Parselmouthsss in Ssslytherin House?"

"I don't think so," sighed Megan. "Yesss, Corin isss, and ssso are hisss sistersss. They're too young to be here yet. You had better be right, Essstella."

"I know I ssspoke Parssseltongue," Ginny insisted. "You sssaw how disssappointed the Slytherinsss were after I'd sssaid it. They hadn't underssstood a word, and they'd all wanted to know because I'd ssstruggled not to say it!"

Professor Flitwick walked over to their table and said softly, "I hear hissing coming from over here. I expect you to quit talking and get to work."

"It wasn't us," said Ginny without looking up. "It was the basilisk that is patrolling out in the hall that you heard."

Many of the students looked up and stared at Ginny in horror, knowing that she had been very involved in the Chamber of Secrets terror the previous year.

Riker snickered. "It's out to get you, Creavy," she sneered at him.

The boy went pale, but Guage snickered, "Not at all. It's out to eliminate the ones in between now." Everyone looked over at Marlene and Marianne.

"Stop it!" shrieked Marlene, making Ginny burst into giggles and put her head down on her flower.

"I do not want to hear comments like that in this class," Flitwick said sharply, eyeing Rillian and Riker. "And, Ms. Weasley, do not joke about basilisks being out in the hall. That is most certainly not a joke."

Colin Creavy wholeheartedly agreed, making several Slytherins snicker. His face turned red and he hid behind his ginormous flower.

"But there are no more basilisks, right?" Stanley asked. "I mean, Harry killed the one that was there, and it was the only one."

"Oh, it's killed all right," came Ginny's voice. "With a hole from the Gryffindor Sword straight through the roof of its mouth? Oh, it's completely dead. And it never reproduced. No adorable little basilisks slithering around. Sorry to disappoint you."

 _Except for the one up your sleeve and the sixteen others in the Chamber,_ Tom reminded her, making her grimace.

Professor Flitwick looked over at Ginny carefully, then glanced at Stanley, who had accepted the answer and had turned back to working on his flower. Ginny was drawing on her textbook, a scowl on her face. The short wizard presumed that Ginny was upset that the serpent had been killed because she was so friendly to magical creatures. He went back to his desk to survey the classroom, deciding that correcting her thinking wasn't his place.

A few minutes later, he dismissed the class and Ginny picked up her bookbag, hurrying out of the room before anyone else had moved. Suddenly, to his surprise, the Slytherin side all quietly gathered their things and hurried out of the classroom.

* * *

Out in the hall, Megan and Guage flanked a now black-haired Estella Parkington while the others walked around, talking and laughing in small groups. Brianna and Samantha walked close behind them, while Riker walked in front of them.

"Estella," Megan said seriously, "are you sure that there are no more basilisks?"

"No," Estella replied, looking straight ahead. "I told them that the one that was killed did not reproduce. There are certainly other basilisks: they just weren't hatched in the Chamber."

Megan frowned. "Do you know them? Are they coming here?"

Estella glanced sideways at her. "You ask too many questions, Megan," she informed her. "Time is required before any basilisks will be ready for use here in this school."

"We are ready for your bidding, Missstress," hissed Icythan proudly.

Megan stared at her in horror and amazement. "Your serpent is a basilisk?" she hissed softly. "Estella, what on earth!"

"Icythan," said Ginny crossly, "you aren't supposssed to be talking to the other speakersss about yourssself. The fact that you and your bitematesss are basilisksss isss a _sssecret_ , and needsss to remain that way."

"That's right," Megan said softly. "You said that he has sixteen bitemates. Are they all in the Chamber?"

Estella scowled. "Yes. No more questions about them right now. We're in the middle of a corridor, Megan. You'd think a Sage would be a little more wise than that."

Guage giggled and Megan silenced her with a look. "Estella, do you think it would be possible for me to meet them?" Megan asked coaxingly.

"No," Estella replied. "Now go away or you'll make me late for Transfig and McGonagall already hates me." Surprisingly enough, Megan didn't pursue Estella, allowing her enough time to change herself back to Ginny and make it to Transfig on time. Their class was uneventful.

* * *

Ginny met Cherea for lunch, eating at Ravenclaw table. "Are you going to play tomorrow?" she asked her cousin.

Cherea smiled. "I'm a Ravenclaw that wasn't invited," she answered. "I can't go—and you can't invite me because you're not a Slytherin."

"Oh, phooey," said Estella, startling Luna out of her reverie.

"What's a 'phooey'?" asked Luna curiously.

Estella shrugged. "It's a manner of speech used to express disappointment," she replied.

Luna nodded thoughtfully and asked, "How come you're not a Slytherin when your crest is Slytherin? What are you?"

"I was playing with Transfig and haven't been able to change it back," Estella responded, realizing that her tongue had slipped again. She shoved her last bite of food into her mouth and stood up. "See you around, Cherea," she said, picking up her bookbag.

Cherea smiled again and raised her hand in farewell as Estella walked away from the table. Estella headed straight toward the Slytherin House table, making Cherea and Luna wonder what on earth!

"Brie," Estella said softly, leaning down between the twins and ignoring the stares, "may I use your owl to send a letter?"

Brianna paused a moment, then said, "Of course. Use Sebastian: you know who he is."

Estella nodded. "Thanks!"

"Oh, and take him this," Samantha said, pressing a folded napkin into her hand. "He loves them."

Estella thanked her, then turned and walked out of the Great Hall. She went right up to the Owlry, quietly opening the door and closing it softly behind her. The owls eyed her suspiciously, but stayed on their perches. A white owl caught Ginny's eye, and she frowned, knowing exactly whose owl it was. Turning away from that owl quickly, she looked for the big brown Charleston owl.

" _Hisssusss_!" said Icythan excitedly, poking his head out of her sleeve, and Estella frowned darkly. "These are not your _hisssusss_ ," she scolded him, pulling her sleeve down. "Now stay under there."

Changing her appearance back to Ginny, she walked around the Owlry once more, trying to find Sebastian. Suddenly, she was pounced on by a large owl. "Ow!" she yelped when it pecked her finger. "Goodness!"

Shoving it off of her, Ginny realized that she'd just been attacked by Sebastian, who was now standing on a perch, glaring at her balefully. "I'm sorry, Seb," she said softly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the napkin. "Come back here. Do you want a...grape? Samantha, you truly are insane. Owls don't eat grapes."

Sebastian flew straight to Ginny, landing on her arm and gracefully pecking the grape out of her hand. "Well, maybe some of them do," sighed Ginny. "Like you. No wonder the girls said in their letter for me not to lose any fingers to you. You're a pretty bird."

The owl cocked its head and looked at her carefully before turning back to the grapes. "Would you take a letter for me?" she asked him. "Two of them, in fact? One to Bill and one to Charlie. I really needed to write to them because of what's been happening to me. They must have felt really bad because of what happened during the summer. I need to let them know that I'm all right and—"

"Oh." The sound startled Ginny, and she whirled around, her hand going to her wand. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize anyone was up here, and—I'll just come back later."

The boy turned to leave and Ginny suddenly realized that it was Harry Potter. _Tom, I don't want to hear any comments out of you_ , Ginny warned him, then called, "Wait! Harry, you can stay if you want to. I don't mind."

He turned and looked at her carefully. "Are you sure?" he asked. "You're not—meeting someone or something?"

"Ha! No," said Ginny. "Who would I meet up here? It stinks!"

Harry smiled a little and came on up, calling Hedwig to himself. "So, is that your owl?" he asked Ginny.

"No," replied Ginny, yanking her fingers out of the way as Sebastian snapped up another grape. "He belongs to the twins—I mean, my friends the twins, not my brothers the twins. They're letting me borrow him for a little while so I can send out letters without having to use our family owl."

"Doesn't Percy have an owl?" Harry asked.

"Yes," replied Ginny, realizing that she most likely could have used Percy's owl if she'd asked him. "But I didn't ask him because, well, that's his owl."

She watched Harry talk to Hedwig and feed her bites from his lunch. He was comfortable around the owls, she saw, much more than he was around people besides Ron and Hermione. Harry looked sideways at Ginny, then asked, "Ginny, are you all right? I mean, after last year and all?"

Ginny frowned. "Yes," she stated. "Why do you ask?"

Harry shrugged non-committally. After a few minutes, he said, "You don't act like the other Gryffindor girls. You're—" He was quiet, searching for the right word. "You're different, and you're not afraid to show that. The other girls hide in—normality."

"One who has been possessed by the Dark Lord can hardly be normal," Ginny replied softly, stroking Sebastian after she'd fed him the last piece of fruit. "I was never normal, Harry. I'm not even like my brothers very much. That's why the girls in my dorm don't like me. I'm weird to them, strange. Strange is dangerous in Gryffindor—and it's not acceptable."

"I did notice that your dorm mates don't like you very much," Harry admitted with a grin. "Are you all right with that?"

"Yes," said Ginny with a laugh. "I'd rather them try to curse me than try to be my friends. And I have friends: do you remember seeing those twin girls last year after I got out of the Hospital Wing?"

Harry frowned, and he bit his lip. "Just say it," Ginny commanded him.

He blew out his breath. "They're Slytherins," he said softly, not looking at Ginny. "Are you sure they're okay? They're not good friends, Gin."

"I've known them since before I was five," she told him, ignoring his statement. "We've been friends since I was five, and they've always been good to me. But I do have Gryffindor friends: Miskenet, Hermione, some other girls and my brothers except for Ron." Ginny did not comment on that statement. "I also have a lot of Ravenclaw friends and a few Hufflepuff friends. I'm not drowning in Slytherins, Harry."

He cracked a smile, then asked, "Do you—do you have a pet snake?" His voice trailed off, and Ginny had to listen very hard to catch the last part of his sentence.

Feeling Icythan bristle at being called a pet snake, Ginny sighed, "It's a serpent." She let Icythan slither out of her sleeve and around her neck, the basilisk regarding Harry from her shoulder.

"Er, hello there," Harry said awkwardly, and Ginny had to struggle not to roll her eyes.

"Hello, little one," Icythan replied. "Ssso thisss is the ssserpent-killer of the basssilisssk. The king of serpentsss isss our brother, _sheisss_. You are _hisssusss_."

Alarmed, Harry stepped back out of striking range, but said, "I'm not your enemy, really. Unless you hurt Ginny or sssomething. But I had to stop that basssilisssk: his massster wasss trying to kill Ginny."

"Missstress isss not helplesss, little one," Icythan said haughtily.

"But she wasss unconsciousss," Harry protested. "She couldn't help herssself then: I had to do sssomething!"

"Yesss, not even _tsez_ could help her at that time," agreed Icythan, "Ssserpent-killer."

Harry flinched. "Look, I'm sssorry, but don't call me that," he told the serpent. "I did what I had to. And who isss thisss _tsez_ you keep talking about?"

 _Ginevra Molly Weasley, if you so much as say one word about me..._ Tom warned her.

 _I would never tell him,_ Ginny responded, just in time to interrupt her serpent. " _Tsez_ isss a friend I had firssst year. He wasss the friendly part of what wasss in the journal."

Harry stared at her in shock. "You're a Parselmouth?" he whispered suddenly. "Ginny? Dumbledore said that you could only speak Parseltongue when you were possessed!"

"Dumbledore doesn't know everything," Ginny snapped in annoyance. "And do I look possessed?"

"You are," Harry said in wonderment. "Not possessed, I mean. A Parselmouth. Does your family know?"

"Yes, all of them know," Ginny sighed. "I let them know this summer when I got Icythan. But mum and dad and Ron think that I only remember Syllablized Parseltongue from when Tom and the Dark Lord spoke it."

 _Ginny,_ Tom warned her nervously.

Harry gave her a strange look, but didn't say anything about her slip-up. "How many people know about your serpent?"

"My family, and my closest friends," Ginny replied. "Please don't say anything to Hermione about Icythan, Harry. I'm not sure I want her to know yet."

"She did mention that you were a bit energetic this morning," Harry said with a grin. "Don't worry, Ginny. I won't say anything."

"Thanks," Ginny grinned at him. She turned back to Sebastian, telling him where to take the letters and sending the owl off. "See you later," she called to Harry, who was giving his letter to his owl.

"See you," he called back as she walked down the steps to leave the Owlry.

Ginny hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, wanting to get her homework done and go to bed quickly. She had remembered that Pansy Parkinson wanted to talk to her at breakfast and wanted to get some good sleep before she went off to face her.

Hermione met her at the Portrait Hole. "Ginny," she said, "come study up in my dorm with me."

"Why?" sighed Ginny. "I want to get work done. I don't want to have a let's-paint-our-toenails party."

Hermione's mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. "Is that what you think of me?" she gasped. "Ginny, I have never painted my toenails! When I say 'study,' I mean study!"

Ginny grinned. "I know. I was teasing. I'm ready if you are," she told the older girl.

Hermione eyed her for a moment, then said, "Come on, then. Harry and Ron ran off to do who knows what, so I'm all free. And I didn't want to keep the other girls company for the rest of the evening, either."

"Okay," Ginny said with a grin, lifting her bookbag back onto her shoulder. "Come along." She hurried off toward the girls' dorm stairs, Hermione close behind.

When they arrived at the door, Hermione darted forward and opened the door herself. "Oh my!" she gasped when she stepped in, her hand flying to her mouth.

Ginny stepped into the room, and immediately burst out laughing. "Toenail-painting party!" she shrieked. "Why didn't you invite me, Lavendar?"

Lavendar and Parvarti looked up at Ginny in surprise. "Oh," said Lavendar. "I didn't think that you're the kind of girl who would want to do this kind of thing."

"I'm not," said Ginny, giggling harder. "And I wouldn't have come except to crash the party. I've never painted my toenails, either. And I probably won't ever."

Parvarti smiled up at Ginny. "I normally do not, but we're celebrating the onset of the weekend tonight."

"That party is usually reserved for tomorrow night," Ginny stated. "Friday night so that we can party into the night because there are no classes the next day."

"Oh, we're not staying up late," Lavendar replied. "We have Potions and Herbiology tomorrow."

"So do I," Ginny said with a smile. "I can't wait for Potions. Most of the potions that the students were supposed to be finishing this class were destroyed last class. I wonder how well our class will go tomorrow?"

"Was your potion destroyed?" Hermione asked. "What happened?"

Ginny grinned. "Water dripped into a vial of explosive acid and the explosion rocked the classroom," she said. "Every potion that wasn't finished and sealed was infected and exploded as well. My potion was already finished, sealed, and simmering when the explosion happened."

Lavendar groaned. "At least you might have a small chance of not having Snape on your case tomorrow," she sighed. "How many points did he take?"

"I don't even know if he did," Ginny replied. "I just know that he yelled at the Hufflepuffs for putting the vial under the dripping ceiling and chewed out Heark after class for cheating off of my paper."

"Did she really?" gasped Parvarti. "Was Snape mad at you because she cheated?"

"No," Ginny giggled. "I was the one who told on her. I wish I could find out what he said to her: that would be so funny. Then I'm sure that I could make her dream about it..."

"Ginny!" yelped Hermione. "That's despicable! We do not plot against our allies and we do not try to accent the fear and—and trepidation caused by Professor Snape!"

Ginny looked over at Hermione unemotionally. "You don't sleep in the same room with her."

Lavendar and Parvarti roared with laughter and Parvarti sloshed some polish on the floor. "Oh, goodness!" yelped Parvarti. "Lavendar, help!" The other girl sputtered helplessly, so Ginny drew her wand and _pergo_ -ed the spot on the floor. "Thanks!" Parvarti said happily.

The redhead nodded. "Now how about you stay on this side of the room so Hermione and I can go over _there_ and study," Ginny suggested. The two on the floor nodded, and Ginny walked to the other side of the room with Hermione.

"Do you want to study on my bed?" Hermione asked, opening her bedcurtains to show a perfectly-made bed.

"Sure," said Ginny, sitting down and making herself comfortable. "I'm going to work on reading over my Potions homework and go over my summer lessons of Herbiology for class tomorrow."

Hermione nodded, pulling out her Transfiguration book and beginning to read. A couple times, she put down her book, drew her wand, and proceeded to transfigure a quill or paperweight from on top of her nightstand.

"Ginny, listen," Hermione said, frowning at her book and beginning to read aloud: " _To change a quill into an arrow, visualize the shape and feel of the arrow as you say the incantion...the sharper you visualize, the sharper and more pointed the tip. The more aerodynamic you intend it to be, the lighter it will be_. Isn't that interesting? I know you're pretty far along in your Transfiguration: how far have you come?"

"Oh, I don't know," Ginny said. "I've transfigured a lot of things: I told you about shapes, texture and feel, colour, etc... I still have trouble with my classroom work, though. Cherea's been helping me with it, though."

"Cherea?" Hermione inquired curiously, attempting to transfigure her quill.

Ginny shrugged, turning a page in her Herbiology book. "She's my Ravenclaw friend," she said, almost accidentally saying cousin instead of friend. "I have Transfig with the Ravenclaws, and I sit by Cherea Charleston."

"Is she a cousin of those twins that were pestering you last year?" Hermione asked sympathetically.

Ginny frowned at Hermione sharply. "I've told you that they're my friends and have been for quite some time," she scolded. "Yes, they're cousins, and all three are my friends."

Hermione bit her lip. "Sorry," she said, picking up her arrow and testing it for weight. Something didn't seem quite right, and with a scowl, Hermione changed it back into a quill.

Returning to studying her book, Ginny ignored the other girls in the room. Hermione studied without making noise, and even the two girls who were now painting each other's fingernails were being considerably more quiet than Ginny thought possible for them.

After several moments of studying, Hermione looked up and asked, "Are you finished with your reading yet?"

"Yes," Ginny replied, staring off at a dark corner of the room.. "I've been finished for a little while. I've just been watching the cat over there."

Hermione looked over where Ginny had been watching and grinned. "That's my new cat, Crookshanks," she said eagerly. "I got him at the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley just before school began. Come here and meet Ginny, Crookshanks! He doesn't like Ron very much: Crookshanks jumped on his head when we were in the Menagerie."

Ginny burst out laughing as Crookshanks ran over to Hermione and rubbed his face against her fingers, purring. "He jumped on Ron's head? Go Crookshanks!" Ginny cheered, and the cat jumped up on her lap, purring happily. "Well, hi there," she greeted the cat, petting him gently. "You're a beautiful kitty, Crookshanks."

Crookshanks blinked up at her and curled up in Ginny's lap, turning upside down. "Well," Hermione said in surprise, looking at her cat. "He's quite happy with you!"

Ginny felt Icythan stir nervously, and pressed her hand to her throat, clearing her throat as a warning to Icythan to stay still. "He's so beautiful," Ginny sighed. "Is he a full-blooded Kneazle?"

"No, he's half Kneazle and half a regular Persian cat," Hermione replied, watching Ginny pet her cat. "He's a strange cat, but I think he's very smart and perceptive."

" _Zis_ ," hissed Icythan uneasily. "Missstress mussst leave the _zis_. I do not trussst it."

Ginny hushed Icythan softly, stroking Crookshanks and scratching the cat under his chin. "He's a wonderful cat," Ginny said to Hermione for Icythan's benefit. "You're lucky to have him, Hermione."

Hermione grinned. "Thanks," she replied. "He's great. And some nights, if you want to keep him with you, you can."

"Thanks," Ginny told her, lifting the cat off her lap and setting him on the bed. She stood and stretched with a yawn, packing her books away. "I'll see you later," she said. "Thanks for letting me study with you and thanks for letting me meet Crookshanks. Nice to meet you." She smiled at Hermione and her cat, then walked out of the room and went to her own bed.


	14. Search and Curse

Ginny woke the next morning and readied for breakfast, thinking of meeting Pansy. Ginny wondered what she wanted, and hoped that Pansy wouldn't be a brat like she usually was to the Gryffindors.

 _But she's my first cousin,_ Ginny thought to herself with a giggle. _That's crazy: Ron would flip if he knew about this. It's a good thing that he doesn't know, and that most people don't know._

Quickly gathering her books, Ginny put them in her bookbag and skipped down to breakfast, avoiding the bathroom because she knew Marlene and Marianne were there. She changed her hair black and her crest to the Slytherin crest, stepping out of the empty classroom into the corridor and hurrying toward the Great Hall.

Entering the Great Hall, she glanced around and found Fred and George looking at her carefully, both looking a bit concerned. Percy looked up and grinned at her secretly. She didn't respond, turning away. As she approached the Slytherin House table, she saw that Pansy had reserved her a seat right next to her. Estella sat next to Pansy without saying a word and began to put food on her plate.

Pansy turned and carefully looked over Estella. "My parents have asked about you," she said calmly. "They are your aunt and uncle, you remember."

"Certainly," Estella replied. "And what did they ask about me?"

"Several things," Pansy answered vaguely. "You and I will be hunting together during Search and Curse tonight."

Estella frowned. "I'm sticking with the twins," she objected.

Pansy scowled at her. "You are not. Four is too many to hunt together, and you and I will be hunting together. I've already set it up with the twins and the prefects."

"So how will we be playing tonight?" Estella asked. "I've heard that there are several versions of the game."

The older girl nodded. "The rules will be told when we meet in the Common Room," she told Estella. "That's all."

Estella nodded slightly and hurried to finish eating before she ran off to Potions. She took the secret passageway that Tom had showed her, of course, and changed her appearance on the way.

When she stepped into the classroom, she found that Beatrix and Flora were already there with some of their other friends. "Woah," she said, grinning at them. "I didn't expect you to be here already!"

"Thanks to you, we know how to get down here now," Beatrix said with a grin, winking at Ginny. The Hufflepuff girl beckoned her to come on over, so Ginny went over and sat down by Beatrix. "What do you think will happen to those of us whose potions were ruined last class?" she asked Ginny.

"I don't know," Ginny replied. "You might have to start it over and stay later to finish it. You might even have to stay through lunch."

Flora put her head in her hands. "I couldn't," she groaned. "I missed breakfast and I don't want to miss lunch!"

Ginny shrugged. "Then whatever you're supposed to do, do it as quickly as you can without screwing up your potion," she told Flora.

Marlene and Marianne walked in, sitting in the very back. Snape looked directly at them and sneered, "You will not be sitting together in my class anymore. Heark, up here right in front of my desk."

The Gryffindor paled and moved quickly without saying a word. Beatrix giggled, "Hot seat, Heark? Bet you still won't stay out of trouble!"

The others in the room burst out laughing, and Marlene turned and glared at Ginny and the two Hufflepuffs. Ginny didn't say a word, just grinning at her angry dorm mate. "You _stupid_ Hufflepuff," Marlene snarled at Beatrix. "I'll  kill you."

Flora scowled at Marlene on her friend's behalf. "You will not," she snapped.

Ginny pulled out a piece of paper. "Death threats," she said, pretending to take notes. "But she's bluffing. I doubt she could pull it off."

"Shut up!" Marlene snarled, much to the amusement of most of those in the room.

"You shut your mouth or I'll remove it from your face," Beatrix promised her with a grin. "Maybe permanently. And you'll have to learn all your spells non-verbally."

Marlene growled at her but said no words, and the three on the Hufflepuff side exchanged silent high-fives. Snape did not even look at them, but Ginny was almost certain that he was amused by their arguements.

Class was called to order, and Snape informed them that the ones whose potions were simmering should finish them. He added, "Those of you who failed to even _begin_ the potion last class will be doing the entire potion today. I suggest you begin immediately if you want to attend any of your other classes today."

Ginny and the two or three others who had partially finished potions quickly went to their cauldrons and began preparing their last few ingredients. Unsealing her cauldron, Ginny was pleased to find it smooth and calm. She carefully poured her acid into her cauldron, stirring the potion continuously. She didn't say much to any other student, wanting to make sure she made her potion correctly so she didn't get censured by Professor Snape.

When she was finished, she didn't say a word, but allowed her mind to loudly wonder what she should do since she was done with her potion. After several minutes in which she studied her textbook, Snape looked up, glaring at her. Ginny felt his eyes on her, but did not look up.

"Ms. Weasley, you may bottle up your potion and bring it here...although I expect I shall have to throw it out," sneered Snape.

Ginny looked up at him finally, wanting to stick out her tongue or glare at him. She did neither, but replied, "Wouldn't you rather check the potion before I bottle it?"

"I do not repeat myself, Ms. Weasley," he snarled at her, and she barely stopped herself from shrugging.

After several minutes, she took the bottles up to Snape's desk and placed them to the side, waiting for further instructions. Ginny had already taken the initiative to clean out her cauldron and prepare it in case he told her to begin another potion.

Without looking at her or her bottled potion, he said, "You may leave."

Ginny was surprised, but turned around, gathered her supplies, and left the room without looking at any of the other students. She went to the library to work on her reading assignment for Transfiguration, hoping that she wouldn't be accosted because she wasn't in class.

After reading the pages and attempting the Transfiguration spell, Ginny put the book back on the shelf and hurried up to her room to put her books back. She had several hours to spare before lunch, so she pulled out her DADA textbook and began reading ahead. Ginny thought that she might be able to find a couple ideas for Search and Curse before she was in the middle of the game!

Ginny looked up from her book and realized that she need to get down to the Great Hall for lunch. She wondered how Potions had gone after she'd left and if she should ask one of the Hufflepuff girls. As she walked into the Common Room, she saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville come in through the Portrait Hole.

"Neville, you can't let him frighten you," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "You have to understand that he's just trying to intimidate the students."

"He's just more cranky this year," Ron told Hermione and Neville. "I dunno what his problem is."

Neville was pale and shaking a little. "He just hates me," the boy sighed. "I'm going to lose hundreds of points for Gryffindor this year."

Harry frowned. "That's not true, Neville," he tried to comfort the other boy. "Snape just likes picking on people, especially—" Harry stopped awkwardly, and Ron snorted.

"Yeah, those who won't fight back," said the ginger. "Neville, you should stand up to him."

"—and lose thousands of points for Gryffindor," Neville said glumly. "You know, I already tried standing up to people, and what happened? Hermione hexed me!"

"You weren't supposed to block the Portrait Hole when we were _trying_ to stop You-Know-Who from getting the Immortal Stone," Hermione said pointedly. "This is different!"

Neville shook his head. "Never mind, you three. I know you're just trying to help, but I think I'm beyond help," he told them.

Ron frowned. "No, you're not," he snapped. "Snape is beyond help."

Ginny stepped forward, ready to make a point for Snape when Neville looked up and saw her. "Oh, hello, Ginny," he said. "Are you heading down to lunch?"

"Yes," Ginny replied without looking at Harry and Ron. "Are you coming down?"

"No, he's going to hide in our dorm room for the next three days until he has to go back to class," Ron stated callously.

Ginny scowled at Ron. "I wasn't even talking to you, Ronald," she snapped. "Neville does have a mouth, you know." She turned back to Neville without saying anything else to Ron, who was glaring at her. "Coming?" she asked Neville again.

Neville frowned at Ginny, then grinned and nodded, saying, "Let me take my books up to my room and I'll be right back." He hurried off, and Ginny looked pointedly at Ron, who glared at her.

"This doesn't mean anything," he hissed at her. "You think you're so great, but you're not! Just because you convinced one _stupid_ —"

Ginny was barely able to keep herself from drawing her wand and slamming Ron against the wall. "You sound like Snape—no offense, Professor," she added up at the ceiling. Looking back at Ron, she clenched her fists and scowled. "He's not stupid: he needs encouragement. Not one of his own housemates—dorm mates, no less—calling him names because he doesn't meet your standard."

"Yeah," Harry said to Ron after a moment. "We don't meet Hermione's standard and she doesn't call us stupid."

"Don't," pleaded Hermione. "Don't bring me into this. I'm neutral."

"You are not," Ginny replied. "Neutral gets people killed."

Ron stared. "Ginny, stop it," he growled at her. "You're being a prat!"

"Oh, goodness," Ginny mocked him. "You'd think that was strange for me." Harry snickered and Ron frowned at his friend, who immediately tried to look ashamed. Neville came down the stairs at that moment, and Ginny stepped forward, joining him in walking toward the door. "Be careful with the company you keep, Hermione. I'm sure you can find better than my brother."

"Malfoy told me that first year," Harry said without thinking, then turned red. "I mean—"

"Harry!" cried Ron. "How could you compare Ginny to him?"

"I didn't!" Harry protested as Neville and Ginny escaped the Gryffindor Common Room.

Neville was trying not to laugh as they left, and Ginny said, "Well, now. I've caused a bit of trouble between them!"

The boy shrugged. "They'll be all right," he told Ginny. "They always are. Hermione will keep them from hurting each other too badly." Ginny began laughing, and Neville joined in.

The two of them reached the Entrance Hall fairly quickly, and Neville hesitated. "C'mon," Ginny said, reaching for his hand. He yanked his hand away and frowned at her. Grinning, she motioned him to join her. He stepped beside her, walking into the Great Hall at her side.

Ginny noticed that Meris and Draco were sneering at her, but didn't pay attention to them and made sure that she distracted Neville from noticing. What disturbed Ginny was that Samantha looked furious and Megan was trying to help Brianna calm her down, but it wasn't helping.

Ginny and Neville quickly went to the Gryffindor House table and sat down with their backs to the Slytherins. "Look," said Neville quietly, carefully indicating the Head table. "Snape's not even here yet."

"Nope," Ginny replied with a grin. "And don't worry about it. You don't need to borrow trouble."

"True enough," Neville agreed, reaching for the meat dish. "Here, want some?"

"Sure," Ginny said, and the two began eating.

A few minutes later, there was a commotion at the Slytherin House table, and one of the twins jumped up. Ginny and Neville turned around to watch the angry twin snap at the other twin in a low voice. Neville frowned. "What is her problem?" he asked Ginny. "Isn't that one of your friends?"

Ginny nodded wordlessly, shocked at what she'd seen. Brianna had drawn her wand and pointed it at her twin, and then both of them had run out of the Great Hall.

"What happened? What did the other twin do?" Neville asked her.

"I don't know," Ginny replied quietly. "Samantha just randomly has bad reactions to different things, and there's no telling what could set her off."

 _Ginny, it was your sitting with Neville,_ Tom told her.

 _That can't be it,_ Ginny protested. _They know I have Gryffindor friends!_

Tom snorted. _Ah, yes. Estella Parkington, daughter of Death Eaters, sitting with Neville Longbottom, the only child of two_ Crucio- _induced insane Aurors,_ he said sarcastically. _I'm sure that went over very well with your Auror-hater friends._

Ginny winced. _I didn't know that, but that still doesn't change the fact that Neville is my friend and I want to help him!_

 _At what expense, Ginny Love?_

 _Tom, what do you want me to do? Are you wanting me to completely abandon my Gryffindor friends?_ Ginny demanded. _Do you want me to completely cut me off from where I am stuck for the rest of my Hogwarts days? Stop it! I won't change just because I have an Auror-hater friend!_

Tom smiled to himself, then replied very seriously, _I just want you to be very sure about what you want to do and what friends you want to have, Ginny. I don't discourage your friendship with Longbottom, but I do caution you._

"Ginny Weasley!" Neville's sharp tone broke through her daydreams. "Goodness, when did I lose you?"

"Somewhere between the Entrance Hall and the Gryffindor House table," Ginny replied with a grin. "Come find me!"

Neville frowned at her, then shrugged and continued eating. After a moment, he asked again, "What makes her do that?"

Ginny sighed. "I don't exactly know. Everything they told me is what I told you," she replied. "Well, that's not exactly true...um, I can't betray their trust, but they've had childhood trauma."

 _You're talking to Childhood Trauma personified, Ginny Love_ , Tom snickered.

Ginny nearly laughed, then snapped, _Tom, please stop that! I do not want to hurt Neville's feelings, and you're making it hard not to laugh!_

"Oh," said Neville finally. "Sorry. I guess I shouldn't have asked. I didn't know."

"It's okay," Ginny replied. "I would have asked too if I hadn't known." _Tom,_ she moaned, _I think you're right, and Samantha's going to Curse me tonight!_

 _Not if Brianna can keep her un—under control,_ Tom amended his sentence. _Samantha should be all right as long as you behave yourself the rest of the night and don't do anything stupid._

 _Well, thanks, Tom,_ Ginny replied sarcastically. _I'm just so thrilled to go get myself Cursed now._ Tom laughed, but didn't reply.

Neville and Ginny quickly finished eating and left the Great Hall together, Meris glancing at them with a frown. Neville turned to Ginny and asked, "Why is he always frowning or glaring at us? He seems angry at one of us."

"Probably me," Ginny replied as they walked. "I always make everyone mad, anyway."

Tom interrupted Ginny's thoughts and warned, _Meris has just left the Great Hall. I think he's going to come intercept you at some point. Don't leave Neville and don't show him your Estella "form" and_ _do not_ _be friendly toward Meris or call him by his first name while you are Ginny Weasley._

Ginny agreed with Tom and asked him if they should take the passageways. Tom told Ginny that Meris was in the passageways and that Neville might be too afraid to go through the passages. Ginny turned to Neville. "I know a few shortcuts back to Gryffindor, if you'd like to go one of those ways," she told him. "Secret passages and stuff."

Neville frowned at her, and asked, "How dark are they?"

 _About as dark as Bellatrix Lestrange's mind,_ Tom quipped, making Ginny snicker.

 _Tom!_ she shouted at him angrily. "Um, not too bad," she replied. "Wandlight makes them light enough to see through."

"Okay, I'll try it," he granted reluctantly, following her down the hall as she headed in a different direction.

"Quick, behind this tapestry," she commanded sharply as she heard footsteps. They darted behind it just as the person came into view: Meris Lestrange. Neville's eyes grew wide, and Ginny raised her wand, silencing him and making him glare at her.

Meris looked all three ways, frowning to himself as he thought. His hand moved to his wand pocket, and the boy headed toward the corridor leading up to Gryffindor.

Neville looked at Ginny worriedly, and she took his arm. "Come," she whispered, taking off his Silencing Charm. "Sorry about that, but I didn't want you to say anything to him. I don't want him to catch us on the path to Gryffindor."

"Will he find us?" Neville asked, and Ginny shrugged.

"Dunno," she replied. "If we're fast, maybe not. But we're in a secret passage: how could he find us?"

"He's a Slytherin," pointed out Neville. "Of course he knows where the passages are."

Ginny smiled appreciatively. "I know a few he doesn't," she stated simply. "This is a more common one, though. Lots of Gryffindors have used it in the past. Last year I found a lot of things that had been lost down here."

Neville began to shine his wandlight around curiously, looking at the walls as he and Ginny walked along. Something caught Ginny's eye in the shadows, and she reached for her wand. At that moment, Neville turned to face the tunnel again and shrieked upon finding a person standing in front of them.

Meris Lestrange stood calmly before them, holding his wand pointing across his chest. "My, how you shriek," Meris said to Neville without moving.

"Don't you _even_ start," growled Neville, his wandlight suddenly going out. Ginny held her wand closer to the two boys so they could see each other's faces.

"I didn't start anything," replied the younger boy. "I'm not even here to finish what others have started." Neville's eyes narrowed, but Lestrange continued, "You are a horrible breed of Gryffindor. You haven't got a speck of bravery in you, and you run away from those you haven't met, simply because of a name. See, I was only a baby when my father was incarcerated. I had nothing to do with what happened back then. Get over yourself, Longbottom."

Ginny realized that Neville was trembling and stepped closer to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. Lestrange turned his attention to her and hissed, "Weasley, if you breathe a word of this conversation to anyone, I will find you and give you a cursing you won't forget."

"Do I look like a tattletale?" Ginny spat at him.

He glared at her and moved to walk past her the way they had come. She stuck her tongue out at him, then gently pushed Neville ahead of her up the passageway. After a long silence, Neville croaked, "You said we wouldn't meet him."

"I said I didn't know," she replied. "I didn't say we wouldn't meet him. And I did tell you that this was a more common passage."

Rubbing a hand across his forehead, Neville asked heavily, "Did you plan this, Ginny?"

"Wha—no, Neville! I wouldn't do that to you," she told him. "I didn't know he was going to come after us down here."

"You didn't seem to think of him as an enemy," Neville told her, sounding deep in thought. "You were...almost comfortable with him!"

"That's ridiculous," Ginny said stubbornly. "To think I'd befriend someone that hangs out with Draco Malfoy—"

Neville interrupted her intently. "Ginny, I can feel the wavelengths between different people," he told her. "Some call them 'vibes.' All I know is that your waves and Lestrange's waves were not conflicting. At least, you are not his immediate enemy. Even when he told you to keep your mouth shut, he wasn't really threatening you."

Ginny just stared at the boy. "How many people know that you can do this?" she asked him.

"Just my grandmother," he replied. "And you, I suppose."

"If you know these 'vibes,' or waves, then why are you so afraid of Snape?" Ginny questioned curiously. "Is he hostile toward you?"

"That's just it," Neville said miserably. "I don't pick up anything from him. He doesn't give out any waves. You can't read what's not there."

Nodding thoughtfully, Ginny asked, "So what did you pick up from Meris—I mean, Lestrange?"

He smiled weakly. "I was right, wasn't I?" He didn't wait for an answer, but went on, "He was angry, but he didn't intend harm to me unless I tried to harm him. He was frustrated with me, I guess. I don't know. I guess I never got close enough to him before to understand the waves."

"But you were still badly affected by him," Ginny pointed out.

"Of course," sighed Neville, coming to the end of the passage and turning to Ginny. "I didn't know what was going to happen, and he came upon us in a secret passageway, of all places. When you meet a Lestrange in a secret place no one is supposed to know about, the situation can be very dangerous!"

Ginny giggled and Neville turned to the wall. "How do you get out of here?" he asked.

She stepped up and pressed the rock in the wall without him noticing. "That way," she said. "By pressing the right rock. Now go quickly so that the wall can close behind us."

Neville hurried out of the passageway and waited for Ginny, watching the wall close up behind her. "Hey, do you want to study in the Common Room with me?" Neville asked her.

Ginny shrugged. "Sure, but I'm almost done with mine. I did it in my free time earlier today."

"Oh, Ginevra," he said, shaking his head. "You're going to end up like Hermione." He suddenly felt a rush of anger come from her and said, "Oh, sorry. You don't like being compared to her. Didn't mean to upset you."

"How come you don't worry when I'm mad?" she demanded to know.

"Because you're not the off-the-wall, curse-first-ask-questions-later kind of person," Neville replied. "You're more reserved than that, and don't react immediately, except for when you're threatened."

She shook her head. "You're scary," she told him. "Don't let anyone else know about this ability you have. This is power that probably not many have, Neville."

He shrugged and looked down, embarrassed. Then he turned and walked off, Ginny hurrying to catch up with him so they could stay together. "Do you think you could help me with my homework?" he asked. "I mean, if you can and want to."

"Sure," she replied. "Boring waiting around for something to happen until supper." _Can't wait for Search and Curse tonight!_ she thought in excitement, catching a strange look from Neville.

 _Occlumency, Ginny,_ Tom warned her. _It'll protect you from his gift. I doubt very many people know about sneaky little Longbottom's ability. He probably doesn't even realize what a gift he has._

* * *

Ginny escaped Neville before supper and went off to check on a few last minute things. She had made up her mind not to sit at the Slytherin House table, and hoped that Brianna had been able to straighten out her twin's issues. Going into the Great Hall, Ginny saw that the girls weren't there yet. She hurried over to Fred and George to sit beside them, becoming just another Weasley.

"How've you been surviving so far?" George asked her with a grin.

"Yeah, Stel, we saw you come into the Great Hall the other day, and—"

"Shut up, do you hear?" Ginny hissed at the twins. "You can't call me that in front of anyone when I look like this. And especially not here at the Gryffindor House table!"

The twins glanced at each other, then began again. "So how are you, other than threatening our ability to draw breath?" Fred asked her.

Ginny growled at him. "I said no such thing," she snapped, then grinned and replied, "I've been having fun in my classes. I've survived Potions pretty well, I think. Tonight I'm meeting some friends to have fun. I'm not sure how that will go. Samantha's mad at me, and I don't know what's going to happen."

"Wonderful," George said with a sideways glance at his twin. "We have about three pieces of information to discuss with you. First, what is wrong with your dorm mates?"

"Marlene hates me because I'm friends with a lot of Slytherins, and Marianne is her best friend and goes along with whatever Marlene says. The other two would rather not get involved, but they're right in the middle of the conflict because, as I told Hermione, neutral gets you killed," Ginny replied.

The twins nodded thoughtfully. "Well, in a couple weeks, we should be finished with what we were working on with the Charlestons over the summer," Fred continued. "We'll give them to you to test on whomever you will."

Ginny giggled and asked, "What is it they do again?"

"These aren't the kangeroos: we're working on shortening the time for those," George added. "These—these are monkeys."

Fred grinned wickedly, and Ginny stared. "Those will be really good for snooping—I mean, climbing," she told Fred with a smirk.

He nodded, then coughed and said quietly, "We saw you come in this morning and sit with Pansy Parkinson. Ginny, limit the time you spend with her. She's nasty."

She frowned at them, seeing they were united in their purpose. "She's my closest _real_ relative here," Ginny told them softly. "I will talk to her, boys. And I know she's nasty—to you all at least—but she's not nice to me, either. She is trying to find out who exactly I am—personality-wise."

"You mean she's stalking you to find out if you'd be a good _friend_ to her?" Fred asked in disbelief.

"No, Fred, she wants to know if Ginny would be a threat to her family if they started a friendship," George said sarcastically. "Of course Parkinson's stalking—"

"That's it," Ginny gasped, then smiled. "George, you might not be far off in your exaggeration!"

The twins were surprised. "What do you mean?"

Ginny sighed and the two leaned closer to her. "My parents are in hiding, of course," she stated. "Pansy might be trying to find if I would put them or her parents at risk by befriending me."

"But her parents were never imprisoned or even accused," protested the twins.

"That doesn't mean anything," Ginny scolded them. "You know very well that the Malfoys got off because they claimed they were under the Imperius. You also know that Dad doesn't believe that they were at all. Just because someone got off doesn't mean they were innocent!"

Fred and George nodded very carefully. "We understand," Fred said, his face sarcastically serious. "Just look at Snape!"

Ginny stared at the twins in horror, then pushed her plate away, stood, and walked out of the Great Hall. George called after her, saying they didn't mean it, but Ginny kept walking. She walked down to the Slytherin Common Room, changing her appearance on the way and making sure that she looked presentable. She'd worn black to be able to hide in the shadows better, and her hair was down, making her skin look very pale against her dark robes and hair.

Upon stepping into the Common Room, Estella found Lauren Avery sitting with one of the Charlestons. "Hello," Estella greeted them, walking in. Realizing they were eating, she sat a little way away as Lauren looked up and nodded in greeting.

"I'm Brianna," said the dark-haired girl. "Samantha is up in our dorm room and I'm keeping her up there for a little while."

Estella smiled in amusement. "Did you give her a time-out?"

"That's not even slightly funny," snapped Brianna. "She was furious with you, and Megan and I could barely stop her from coming over to you and cursing you at the Gryffindor House table! Do you have any idea of what seeing you with Longbottom, that pitiful excuse for a wizard, did to her? Do you?"

"I—he explained it to me," Estella sighed. "I'm sorry: I didn't even think. He was afraid to come into the Great Hall, but I made him come. I'm sorry that I caused problems with Samantha again."

"You're not going to leave your hair down," Lauren informed her, pointing her wand at Estella's head and braiding her hair up in an instant. She put an _adhere_ charm on Estella's hair to keep it in place. "You won't want it hanging down for the game." She motioned to her blonde hair that was tied up in a knot and held with another charm.

Estella smiled. "Thanks," she said after a moment.

Just then, Samantha came down the girls' dorm stairs, looking very peaceful. Estella looked awkwardly at Brianna, not sure why Samantha looked so perfectly cheery without seeing Madam Pomfrey. "What's going on?" Estella asked Brianna with a frown. "What did you do to her?"

Some of the other Slytherins that had come in gave Estella disgusted looks, and Meris said, "You mean you don't know? Poor child, you've certainly lived a sheltered life!"

"Not so sheltered that I can't curse you," Estella said, turning away from him. _Tom, what have they done to her that they think I should know?_

 _Ginny Love, from what I can tell, Brianna and Megan put Samantha under the Imperius Curse to keep her from attacking you and Longbottom,_ Tom replied. _Now don't make a big deal of it: this is your introduction to the_ real _House of Slytherin._

Estella's mouth nearly dropped open, but she looked at Brianna and Samantha with a look of understanding on her face. "Sorry," she said with a smile. "We don't get many of those where I come from."

"The Muggle World?" asked one of the first years in disgust.

"Shut up, Flavi," said Theo. "Like Meris said, she's been sheltered."

"But no longer," Samantha said coldly, glaring over at Estella. "She's here to get a very Slytherin awakening. Estella, why in Merlin's name did you walk into the Great Hall with and eat with Neville Longbottom?"

Estella regarded her cousin carefully, Brianna looking at her carefully and making her realize that Brianna had taken the Imperius off of her twin. "I rescued him from the Golden Trio," she said with a deep frown. "They were badgering him about classes and things, and so I rescued him. He's desperately afraid of Snape, and wasn't even going to go to lunch, but I made him go. He asked me why Meris was always glaring at or watching us."

"He never looked over at me," Meris said incredulously. "How would he know if I was watching him?"

"He's special, I guess," Estella began, and those standing around burst out laughing. "What's so funny?"

Meris stopped laughing enough to say, "You asked me to tell you the story of the Lestranges vs. The Longbottoms, and I thought you were just playing around. But now I realize that you have no idea what really happened to Neville's parents, do you?"

Estella shrugged. "I know they're insane, and in St. Mungo's, but that's it. Mum—Mrs. Weasley—wouldn't let anyone talk about it in front of me."

"Protected!" chirped Flavius, making everyone laugh again. "But do you think Longbottom was just paranoid that you were watching him, Meris?"

"I don't know," Meris replied. "He didn't seem too worried, but Estella was trying to keep him from noticing what was going on at the Slytherin House table."

"Oh, yes," Estella scoffed. "I was trying to keep him from noticing that my own cousin wanted to come over and take off my head, and maybe curse him too. And I was trying to keep him from realizing that Lestrange, who Neville is quite wary of, was also watching him! And he noticed anyway! He definitely knew something was up, even if he didn't look at you, Meris!"

Lauren frowned. "Estella, what do you know about how he knew?"

Estella shrugged. "You know how sometimes people talk about having sixth senses? Neville's are especially acute, and he can feel relationships between people. He was a little freaked out by some things he felt from me." Estella grinned.

"He sounds a bit off," commented Pansy. "Of course, he always has been—"

"He was dead on with what he read from me," Estella said with a shrug. "Even if he appears not to know which end of his wand to hold, this special sense of his could be very dangerous."

Theo shrugged. "We're around him all the time, and I'm amazed he doesn't sit in the corner and suck his thumb."

Estella giggled, then shrugged. "Maybe it's because he knows what you all are up to."

The Slytherins looked at each other. "Nah," said several of them. "Say, where's Draco? He's about as slow as Crabbe and Goyle!"

Lauren scowled at them. "Would you like to say that to his face?" she snapped.

The younger students glanced at each other, and one said, "She's his closest relative here in school."

"And don't cross her," Theodore said with a straight face, glancing at Samantha.

"Why are you looking at me?" Samantha growled. "Go away."

Estella scooted over next to her cousin. "I'm sorry about what happened at lunch. I didn't mean to upset you, but as Tom told me, I'm really good at acting first and thinking later."

Samantha looked at her and grinned. "You won't become best friends with Longbottom, will you?"

"Probably not," Estella reassured her. "He's a little paranoid and too afraid of everything and everyone to suit me. And his special senses/powers thing make me quite wary of being around him more than I have to."

"Good," said Samantha. "If you started hanging out all the time with an Auror's brat, I'd curse you to kingdom come. I did try, you know."

Estella burst out laughing. "Yes, I do know," she giggled. "Brianna stopped you, and thank goodness, because most of the Gryffindors would have been watching us. And I really don't want to hurt you."

Lauren frowned at the three dark-haired girls. "Then be careful whom you curse tonight, for you won't be hunting together. Pansy, would you come over here a minute? You have your orders, I know. We're waiting on Draco and some of the prefects to arrive before we tell out the rules and go on out."

Pansy came over and said, "Estella is hunting with me, and we'll be heading out very quickly. I hope you're not too slow." Pansy directed the last part at Estella.

"No slower than a flobberworm," Estella replied.

The twins snickered. "Parkington," Pansy said in annoyance, "I mean it. If you can't keep up, I'm going to leave you behind to fend for yourself, and I'm not going to come visit you in the Hospital Wing if you get yourself cursed."

The door opened quickly and Draco strode in, followed by Crabbe and Goyle and several of the prefects. "Parkington—" he began with a sneer, and she scowled at him.

"Shut up, Malfoy, I don't want to hear it from you," she snapped.

Everyone watched the two in unabashed curiosity. Draco's face did not change. "You'd better not stay around Longbottom too much. His stupidity could rub off on you!"

"Goodness," she replied with a sweet smile. "I've always wanted to be as _intelligent_ as you, Draco." His eyes narrowed as the others laughed at his expense, and Estella smiled in satisfaction.

The prefects called for silence and Draco motioned a first year to get up, sinking onto a couch. Estella nearly made a face at him, but caught herself just in time. As soon as everyone was quiet, Owen Pritchard, the fifth year boys' prefect, began to explain the rules of this coming round of Search and Curse.

"We are holding this game in the Forest," Pritchard was saying. "Any curse is allowed, but we don't want any fatalities, and don't use _Crucio_ on the same person more than three times. That means, Draco, that any one person can only be Cruciated three times altogether, no matter what." He frowned over at the blonde boy, who was smirking. "If any of you use Dark Arts, make sure you can clean up after yourself: we are not sending anyone to the Hospital Wing."

Lauren stood up. "We are setting out in pairs, and will be hunting two by two. We have to draw names to see who is going after whom, and everyone has to put their name in separately. The pairs cannot put their names in together, so each pair will be going after two other teams."

"And of course, if you have a personal vendetta against someone, you can go after them," Corin said, earning a scowl from his cousin. "But you have to make sure you get your targets as well."

"Right," Meris agreed, grinning at Corin. "Look out, Meg."

"Don't call me Meg," she said sharply.

"AHEM!" said Pritchard loudly. "You will all put your names here in this container and one at a time, it will randomly choose the enemies. I suggest you pair up as you come."

Brianna and Samantha moved at the same time Pansy glanced at Estella, moving forward. They put their names in together, stepping back for the others. Estella watched Draco sign his name with his wand and grinned. Megan looked sideways at her and gave her a pointed look.

Lifting her chin, Estella hissed (P), "He'sss all yoursss, cousssin!"

Megan's face turned red as Corin snickered and then burst out laughing. "No worriesss, Megan," he laughed at the two of them (P). "Essstella hasss no designsss on your crush!"

Alvin Nott whirled on the three of them. "You're a Parselmouth, Corin? How many of you are there this year? Criminy!"

"At least three of us here," Megan said finally. "But all of us Sages are Parselmouths."

"Honest? How come we never knew before now?" Crabbe asked.

"Because you're stupid," Goyle told him.

"Oh, yeah?" Crabbe retorted. "Then you answer my question!"

Megan rolled her eyes impatiently. "My father, his sister, and his brother all came to Hogwarts, but before them, all of the Sage family attended Durmstrang. Before now, my father, uncle, and aunt were the only Parselmouths, and since they were in the same family, they decided to keep our family secret quiet. Now, we have more than just Sages appearing."

Lauren nodded. "If you have a group of Parselmouths, you're less likely to be singled out as a target."

Megan frowned, then asked, "Essstella, wassn't that one friend of yours alssso a Parssselmouth?"

Ginny took a deep breath and nodded, knowing Megan was talking about Tom. "Yesss, and he ssstill isss."

"He'sss alive?" Megan gasped, almost in a whisper so Corin couldn't hear her. "Estella!"

She smiled happily and nodded again. "I wish he could come tonight. He'd probably be _wonderful_ at Sssearch and Curssse, being a Ssslytherin and all."

 _And growing up playing Search and Curse with the Juniour Dark Lord,_ Tom commented. _Ginny Love, I can't come tonight, but maybe some other night._

 _All right,_ Ginny replied with an inward sigh. _I suppose so._

"He doesssn't want to come tonight, though," Estella amended, then switched to English. "So maybe we can get on with this once everyone has their name in the container?"

Lauren nodded and motioned for the few around the container to hurry up. They quickly dispersed, and Pritchard raised his wand, charming the container to begin. It began to spit out two papers at a time, and he would pick them up and call out the names.

"Reyallalie Riker, Theodore Nott," Pritchard began. "Lauren Avery, Draco Malfoy. Vincent Crabbe, Estella Parkington. Meris Lestrange, Rishka. Megan Sage, Alvin Nott. Astoria Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson. Owen Pritchard, Millicent Bulstrode." He took a deep breath, and went on.

Estella and Pansy exchanged glances. "Astoria is my prey and Vincent is your prey," Pansy said in disgust. "Vincent is hunting with Draco tonight: you'll be lucky to get near them after you dissed Draco first thing tonight."

Ginny shrugged. "He's okay. I didn't hurt him."

Pansy frowned at her, but did not comment. Pritchard said, "We will all be given five minutes to spread out into the Forest once we all reach the clearing there. Does everyone understand the rules?"

Most everyone nodded and Lauren said, "Very well: everyone out."

Pansy motioned Estella to hurry up and headed toward the door quickly. "There's a secret passageway out to the Forest that everyone uses."

Estella nodded. "I know one that no one uses," she replied. "Let's go, then. Perhaps we can arrive there before many others do."

The two girls hurried along, Pansy leading to and heading on down the passageway. Pushing the layer of earth open, Pansy quickly scampered out. Estella followed her, then looked back and realized that they had come out of the side of a hill!

"Hurry up, Parkington!" Pansy hollered at her. "Do you want to get lost?"

"I won't," Estella called back. "I can always ask the Forest where you are!"

There was no reply, and Estella hurried to catch up with her cousin. Once they arrived at the clearing, they found Corin Sage and Meris Lestrange already there. "Hey, Meris, I know you're after Rishka, but who are you after, Corin?" Estella called to him.

"Guage," said Corin, looking up with a grin. "Megan was displeased that I was chosen to combat her best friend."

"I'm sure," laughed Brianna and Samantha, stepping into the clearing. "When you're hunting her, look out for your dear cousin."

Estella and the boys began to laugh as the rest of the group came into the clearing. "Are we all here?" Pritchard asked.

"We're here, Pritch, but not all of us are all here," quipped Theodore.

"Ha, ha, ha," Pritch said to the younger boy. "If all your pairs are together, then you all have five minutes to split from here. Go get yourselves lost."

The younger ones split immediately, and Pansy wasted no time finding a hiding spot close to where she said most people would come through while searching for others. They waited for about two more minutes, their time limit before they could begin their hunt.

"I'm going up," Estella whispered to Pansy, pointing at the tree above them.

"Wha—no!" protested Pansy as quietly as she could. "You'll be seen!"

"I'll ward myself in," Ginny replied. "An Invisibility Ward. I won't be seen. And I'll have a better view."

Pansy grabbed her sleeve. "I won't be able to see you!"

Estella frowned. "Is that a problem?" She then grinned and said, "I'll make the ward special so that only you can see me." Pulling away from Pansy, she quickly climbed up the tree, slipping on several damp branches. "Why are these wet?" she muttered to herself in annoyance. "This will make me look terrible when I come back down!"

She quickly arranged herself on a branch almost right over the slight path through the woods, making sure she could see Pansy from where she was. Drawing her wand, Ginny raised it and put a Protectionary Ward over herself just as Tom had taught her. When she glanced over at Pansy and the girl met her eyes, Estella knew that she had done the ward correctly.

After several minutes, the two heard voices and became very quiet, Pansy retreating into hiding. Lauren Avery and Alvin Nott came into view, stalking in the shadows, but still in view. Pansy looked up at Estella and shook her head warningly. The last thing Pansy wanted to do was to make Lauren Avery angry at her. Besides, they weren't hunting for either of those two.

Ginny scowled at Pansy and mouthed, "I know!" then continued watching the two head on through the shadows. A few other pairs came through, one of them talking about each other's girlfriend, and Ginny's face turned bright red, making Pansy bite down on her sleeve to keep from laughing out loud.

When they had passed, Pansy's giggling could be heard for a long way around them. Ginny dropped the ward and slid down the tree to her. "Oh, hush," she told Pansy. "I bet you knew all that nonsense they were talking about anyway." Giggling, Pansy nodded, and Ginny rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, two burst from behind several bushes, and Ginny realized that it was Astoria Greengrass and Flavius Corbin. " **Corroso**!" shouted Astoria, pointing her wand at Pansy.

Pansy raised her wand just in time to block the curse and return another curse, the spell going right through Astoria's shield spell. The first year collapsed to the ground and her partner groaned.

"We brought down Warrington easily, but can she shield a simple curse?" Flavius ranted in annoyance. "NO!"

Estella began giggling, and Pansy joined in. "Flavi, do you want help getting her back to the clearing?" Ginny asked.

Pansy looked horrified, but Flavius shook his head. "I'll levitate her—although she might hit a few trees on the way there..."

Giggling, Pansy and Ginny walked off together. "We won't find Draco and Vincent around here; Draco never comes this way. Come to think of it, neither does Lauren. I guess she came this way because of Alvin. Anyway, I think I know where Draco should be now."

"How would you know where he is?" Ginny asked, receiving a frown from Pansy.

"Draco and I have known each other for several years, and I know that he doesn't like much-traveled paths," she answered finally. "Hurry up. And for Merlin's sake, don't make too much noise!"

"I never make noise," Ginny replied indignantly, walking quietly after Pansy.

After several minutes of sneaking through the woods, Pansy stopped her, and the two hid behind some large forest ferns. "It's so dark here," Ginny said in wonder, and Pansy scowled at her, motioning her to be quiet. _No wonder Draco likes it,_ Ginny thought to herself.

Crabbe's voice was heard clearly. "Where did they go? I know they were somewhere around here!"

"Yes, and they can hardly help hearing you, as much noise as you're making," Draco sneered. "They are probably just waiting for you to find them so the Gryff can curse you."

Ginny's face reddened in fury. "How dare he!" she hissed under her breath. "He doesn't even think I _can_ curse his little bodyguard!"

Pansy pinched Ginny's side and gave her a firm look. They moved out stealthily and began to creep up on the two boys. Both of the boys had their wands out and were carefully watching their backs to see what would happen. Ginny began to sneak closer to them, and she suddenly jumped out from behind the ferns. " **Ruisae**!" Ginny shouted, pointing her wand firmly at Crabbe.

"Hey!" he cried, then shouted a shielding spell. Her curse cracked his shield, but did not go through it. He dropped his shield and immediately cast a curse at her.

" **Impedimenta**!" Ginny shouted, and her shield held. She immediately cast three curses in a row, the second cracking his shield and the third completely shattering it. " **Vermus Nez**!" she shouted, her eyes wide with excitement as he stared at her, horrified.

The hex hit him, knocking him to the ground. She sighed as she watched him struggle, howling. "Oh, well," she said. "Our team is finished with our hunting."

"We are to go back to the clearing now," Pansy told her. "But don't turn your back on Draco as you leave."

Laughing, Ginny deliberately turned her back on Draco and walked away, making sure that she was careful to listen if he cast as spell at her. He did not. Pansy caught up with her a few feet away. "Why did you deliberately walk away from him like that?" she demanded. "He could have cursed you badly!"

"He didn't," Ginny replied. "He has no reason to."

"No reason?" Pansy said sarcastically. "Oh, yes. You were raised as a Weasley, and you have no idea how to act around Slytherins at all. You don't know your place among us here."

Estella turned on Pansy, her eyes narrowing. "I have been trying to find it, and I believe I will yet," she told her cousin. "But having you yell at me won't help. And just remember that because of what I've always been taught, I won't be near as cold and calloused as the Slytherins who have grown up as such normally are."

Pansy frowned. "You're a weakling."

"No, I'm not," Ginny snapped, glaring at the older girl. "But Fred and George were right; you are a nasty little prat!" Pansy just smirked as they walked along. Ginny did not say a word until the arrived back in the clearing, when she began talking to Brianna and Samantha.

"So how did it go for you?" Ginny asked them.

Brianna rolled her eyes. "Samantha was _sooo_ jumpy about every little shadow that I thought we would never be able to track anyone quietly," she complained to Ginny. "Behind every bush hid a person trying to kill her—or so she thought. It wasn't fair."

Samantha shuddered. "I could feel hostility. And I remembered. Oh..." her shuddering breath gave proof to the horror she felt.

Her twin squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay, but unless this gets better, I'm not sure I should bring you out here again," she said. "You seem to be much worse this year, and I don't know why. Thank goodness you didn't take it into your head to attack Estella again. I don't know if I could have stopped you without Megan being there. I need to figure something else out...I'll talk to Cherea about it."

"We were hiding when you and Pansy came through to find Draco and Vincent," Samantha replied with a grin. "Brianna gave me this death glare and told me that I'd better not move from my hiding place. I didn't."

Brianna shook her head and sighed. "At least we completed our objectives. Both of us were set against first years. Not very much fun, actually. Thing was, Samantha's opponent was very quick and knew more curses than we expected him to know. But he failed because there were two of us and he couldn't tell us apart."

Samantha smiled, then jerked suddenly as two people stumbled into the clearing, having been running for a little while. Ginny recognized Rishka and another older girl. "Something wrong?" Ginny called out to them.

The other girl didn't answer, trying to catch her breath, but Rishka turned and glared at Estella. "That stupid contraption that your dad enchanted _chased_ us," she snapped at the girl.

Ginny was stunned, then began to giggle, realizing that Rishka must be talking about Arthur Weasley's car! "It chased you?" Ginny laughed. "I guess Dad enchanted it well!"

"I knew that you couldn't possibly be anything that you told me last year," Rishka snarled in a deadly voice. "You weren't a Ravenclaw, like you said, and you weren't anything you said you were!"

"Do you think I could have told you what I was? You never would have believed me!" Estella retorted.

"I'm not given to believe you when I knew that you weren't supposed to be down in the Slytherin dorm anyways!" Rishka shouted, half-blinded by fury. " **Crucio**!"

Ginny stared at Rishka, not even raising her wand to try to block the Curse. It knocked her to the ground, and beyond the agonizing pain, Ginny felt as if she couldn't breath. _Don't panic,_ Ginny told herself, panicking. _You can breath. This will be over soon. Besides, if you couldn't breath, you wouldn't even have shrieked the few times you did!_

Once Ginny felt the intrusive magic of the Curse leave her alone with her pain, she opened her eyes and looked up, seeing several Slytherins standing around and watching to see what she would do. "Aw, you don't like me," rasped Ginny at Rishka, feeling as if her throat was raw. "Too bad. Let's do this the short way." Raising her wand and switching to Parseltongue, Estella hissed, " **Afflictio**!"

Tom was horrified, but did not call to Ginny to scold her because of her precarious situation. He did not want to disturb her mind since she had just been Cruciated.

The Dark Curse smashed through Rishka's _Testudo_ and knocked her backward across the clearing into a tree, making her scream out in pain. Estella lowered her wand and took a deep breath, feeling very tired.

"What curse was that?" she heard Draco ask Lauren.

"I don't know," Lauren replied. "I've never seen it before."

Brianna and Samantha stared at their cousin in shock, not sure what to do. Everyone looked over at Rishka, none wanting to go to her and all afraid to do so. The prefect stirred, but moaned in pain and froze once more. The others watched as she managed to pull herself to her knees, but did not get up.

Ginny stood up shakily and looked over at Rishka, still kneeling on the ground. "You're a baby when it comes to pain, aren't you?" she spat.

Draco stepped forward next to Ginny and asked, "What was the incantation of that curse?"

" _Afflictio_ ," Ginny replied. "'I inflict,' I guess it means."

"What all do you know about it? Where did you learn it?" Lauren asked. "I've studied curses for a long time, but I have never heard of that one."

"I learned it first year," Ginny said dully. "Tom told me that it was created by the Dark Lord himself."

Draco smirked. "Riddle taught it to you?"

Ginny scowled. "His cousin _performed_ it on me, then ordered me to go traipsing around the school after lights-out with a basilisk to attack the Mudbloods—without taking the sodding curse off," she snapped at the blonde boy. "That's how I know it."

"So is that all you know about it? What is its purpose?" questioned a seventh year.

"The point of the spell is to make the victim feel as if they have been Cruciated several times," Ginny said, beginning to feel very guilty as Tom explained to her what to say.

"So it's really a shortcut to a torture session?" Meris asked without hesitation.

Ginny glanced over at him and nodded. "Tom told me that he watched his cousin teach this curse to your dear Auntie Bellatrix. He also said that not very many people outside the First Wizarding War would have any idea what this curse is."

One of the sixth years looked at Estella in amazement. "You got to see the Dark Lord do this spell first hand!" he said, impressed.

"Yeah," said Ginny darkly. "Lucky me."

"Take it off," whimpered Rishka, gasping in pain. "Please!"

Corin and Meris looked at her in disgust. "Hey, Parkington," Corin said, "better listen up! This one doesn't beg very often!"

Estella barely flicked her wrist and wand at Rishka and the girl fell face-first into the dirt, the curse releasing her. When Rishka got up, she glared at Ginny and snarled, "Just watch your back."

"I'd watch my own back if I were you," Samantha told her with a smirk. "Her curse went right through your _Testudo_. My Ravenclaw cousin would advise you to get with someone who can help you strengthen your _sappy_ shield."

Furious, Rishka stormed out of the clearing, heading back up to the castle. "I hope to goodness Percy finds her on his rounds tonight," Ginny said to no one in particular.

Brianna and Samantha snickered, and Pansy motioned for Ginny to come along. "We can head back up to the Common Room for the party," she told Ginny. "We should go quickly."

"Still think she's weak?" Brianna asked, laughing.

Pansy frowned at the Charleston twins, then walked off, leaving Estella to hurry after her.


	15. Blood and Venom

Marlene burst into her dorm room and slammed the door. "Of all the stupid, conniving, treacherous—Ginevra Weasley!"

"Calm down," Marianne told her. "They'll hear you down in the Common Room."

"I don't care!" snapped Marlene, reaching into her drawer for something.

"Yes, you do," her friend responded with a sigh. "Her brothers are down there, and they won't stand for anyone to harm their sister. Not even Ron, although he seems to be pulling away from her more and more."

The irate girl slammed her drawer shut and whirled on her friend. "We have to find a way to get back at her," Marlene said sharply. "We could take something that really means a lot to her...or steal her boyfriend. Has she got—?"

"Or we could drink her Mountain Dew," Marianne said, pointing to a vial on Ginny's nightstand.

"Why would she have that?" muttered Marlene. "You can only get that in the Muggle World!"

Marianne shook her head and plunked herself down on her own bed. "Thank goodness she didn't ward the beds again," she said. "Maybe she had someone else get it for her. I don't think she could have gone off of Hogwarts grounds..."

Hearing Marlene chuckle to herself, Marianne looked over at her. She was holding Ginny's vial and opening it carefully. She held the bottle up to the light, smirking. "To our _friend_ , Ginny Weasley." Without hesitation, she put the vial to her lips and took a drink. Immediately, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious, dropping the vial and letting it partially spill out onto the floor.

Marianne screamed in horror, realizing that it was not Mountain Dew. She blasted out of her dorm room, not even taking time to find where her shoes went when she kicked them off. She nearly fell down the stairs she was running so fast, but she made it. "Ron," she gasped, her face screaming her urgency, "do you know where your sister is? We need her: something's happened to Marlene."

"What did Ginny do?" Ron asked, annoyed that his sister had once again caused strife in her dorm room.

"Never you mind! Do you know where she is?" demanded Marianne.

"Where who is?" asked Percy and the twins as they came over. "Are you harrassing them?" Percy added to the girl sharply.

Marianne threw her hands in the air. "Marlene drank something that Ginny left on her nightstand, and now Marlene's unconscious, and we need Ginny to see if she can help. I think Marlene's been poisoned! Where is Ginny?"

Fred and George considered Marianne for a moment, then said, "Well, Gryffindor might be better off without Marlene Heark here, you know. I'm not sure if we _should_ find Ginny for you."

Percy glared at them. "If you have any idea where she is, you will find her and bring her here to Gryffindor Tower," he said. "If Marlene has been poisoned, this will be a serious charge against her. You would not want Ginny to be a _convicted murder,_ would you? _Especially_..."

"All right, all right," Fred and George said, dashing up the boys' dorm stairs. "Where'd you put that map, George?"

"I didn't put it anywhere! It's in your robe pocket!"

"Well, we couldn't look at it down there, could we?"

"Not with the Head Case and Ronniekins and Hermione there," replied Fred.

" _I solemnly swear I am up to no good_ ," they chorused, both scrutinizing the map as it opened. "Where is she?"

Fred shifted. "She said she was going to meet her friends."

His twin snorted. "Then she's not here, for she has no friends here."

They stared at each other, then began to peruse the Slytherin portion of the map. "Estella Parkington!" they chorused, seeing her dot on the map. "Fred, do you know what this means? The map hid her identity until we knew it!"

"Or until she knew it," Fred replied sensibly.

"We have to go down there," George said miserably. "Percy said."

"We don't _have_ to," Fred snickered with a shrug.

George glared at his twin. "If you want to get Ginny stuck in _Azkaban_ on charge of murder, then you can stay here, and have an absolutely _spiffy_ time trying to convince Percy why you thought Ginny would look good with prison numbers tattooed on her neck! Are you coming, or not?"

"She's in the Slytherin dungeons!" groaned Fred as George closed the map with " _Mischief Managed._ "

"Yup, in their Common Room," George replied. "Ready to run, old boy?"

"Ready, Freddy," Fred said lightly. "Beat you to the Portrait Hole!" And he took off running out of the room. George hurried into the seventh years' room and snitched a paper off of Percy's nightstand.

The two boys waved to their older brother in the Common Room. "We'll be back soon," they called. "We'll find her!"

They raced as one away from Gryffindor Tower, both perfectly knowing the way to the dungeons. Taking the passageway they'd seen Ginny come out of earlier that week, then ran on, keeping their wandlights in front of them very carefully. "All right," Fred said, shining his light as they stepped out of the passage and paused for a moment. "That way." They ran on, and George grabbed his twin, both ducking into the shadows as several Slytherins hurried the way the twins had come.

"That was close," breathed Fred. "We'd get killed if we were caught down here."

"So don't get caught," George puffed. "We're almost there." The two stopped at the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room, seeing the bust of Salazar Slytherin that they were supposed to tell the password to.

"What's the password?" Fred gulped, looking at George in horror.

George calmly pulled a paper from his pocket and unfolded it. " _Via dolorosa_ ," George said to Slytherin after looking over the paper a minute.

The statue's expression did not change, and the serpent's eyes flickered opened. The boys had not noticed the serpent before. "You are not Slytherins," said the statue.

"We're trying to find Estella Parkington, for goodness' sake," Fred said sharply. "It's a matter of life and death and stupidity and not sending the poor girl to Azkaban!"

"We gave you the password," George told him matter-of-factly. "That's what we're supposed to do. Please grant us entrance."

The door opened and the two redheads stepped into the Common Room. A party was in full swing, and several girls were on the far side of the Common Room, dancing in a circle. Draco was elegantly draped over a couch, Pansy massaging his shoulders as he conversed with Lauren, his bodyguards nearby. Several boys were standing to the left of the entrance, laughing and talking. Couples were gathered into various corners of the room, left to themselves.

Two dark-haired girls looked up and spotted the Gryffindors, their eyes growing wide. One girl spit out the drink she'd just taken. "Weasley! What in the name of Salazar Slytherin are you doing here?" she demanded.

"That's Samantha," George muttered to Fred as everyone looked at them. "She's the more outspoken one."

The girls who were dancing in a circle suddenly stopped and Draco jumped up from the couch, pushing Pansy out of the way without a thought. "What are you two doing here?" he asked, striding forward with his ever-present smirk on his face.

"Oh, you know," George said, "looking for trouble."

"Malfoy!" Fred greeted him happily. "We came to tell you how badly we're going to smoke you in Quidditch this year!"

Draco laughed. "Dream on, Weasel. Now what's your real reason?"

A dark-haired girl hurried across the Common Room, a very worried look on her face. She stopped just behind Draco, unwilling to embarrass him by pushing him out of the way in front of her brothers.

"Estella!" Fred said, giving her a sharp look. "Do you have any idea how strange it is to see you on the other side?"

"Fred!" George elbowed his twin as several other Slytherins closed in, fingering their wands thoughtfully. "Oh, Merlin help us. Estella, Marianne is convinced that Marlene's been poisoned and that you're at fault. Marlene apparently drank something that you left on your nightstand, and now—"

Estella turned white. "Is she suicidal?" Ginny shrieked. " _How_ can a Gryffindor be so _stupid_?"

Shouts of agreement were heard around the room, and the Gryffindor twins protested, "Hey, Gin—"

"Hush!" Estella commanded them. "Get out. We have no time to spare!" Raising her wand made the twins turn and dash out of the Common Room. Brianna and Samantha jumped up, pointing their wands at the retreating twins and pronouncing spells.

"What did you do?" Draco demanded of them.

"Stamina and Speed Charms," the girls replied. "They'll need them. They ran all the way here."

Lauren frowned. "What could she have possibly had that could make her that horrified about what had happened?"

* * *

When Ginny and the twins arrived in the Common Room, no one was there, so Ginny charged up the girls' dorm steps, the twins right after her. Neither of them remembered that the stairs were normally enchanted to keep boys out of the girls' dorm, but this time, the enchantment acted as if it weren't there!

Percy, Hermione, and Marianne were kneeling over Marlene, Marianne crying. A puddle of liquid was on the floor, and the offending vial had been set back against the nightstand.

Hermione looked up and asked, "Oh, good, you're here. Ginny, is there anything you can do?"

"Get back from her," Ginny said grimly, remembering what Tom had said to her. _...If you give a few drops of it to your enemies, it'll kill them,_ he had explained. _But if you give them a drop of a natural Parselmouth's blood for every drop of venom you give them, it will only make them very sick. They won't die..._

Everyone stepped back, and Percy asked, "Ginny, what is that substance you have? I didn't recognize it. Ginny, what are you doing? Stop!"

She had rolled up her left sleeve and transfigured a quill into a knife. Hermione turned away and the twins winced as Ginny cut her arm a few inches above her wrist, her blood dripping out into Marlene's mouth. "I hope you're satisfied," Ginny spat at her. "Taste this. It's the only chance you'll ever get to taste my blood—if you and I are both lucky."

"Ginny," Percy said sharply, "what in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?"

"Saving her life," Ginny snapped, pressing her arm to increase the blood flow. "The blood has to be the same amount of ve—of that substance that she swallowed. The colour will return to her face once the amount is the same."

Ginny's arm began to feel numb, and Ginny took a deep breath, holding her arm a minute and jumping up and down to increase her circulation. Then she resumed her task. About thirty seconds later, colour returned to Marlene's face, and Ginny stepped back, reeling tiredly.

Percy jumped forward and caught her in his arms. "I'm okay," Ginny protested, struggling against him.

"No, you're not," Percy replied, holding her easily. "Ginny, you drained a lot of blood from you! And there's something else. You're acting super sleepy—having you been using a lot of magic recently?"

"Percy, please," Ginny begged him, looking up at him as she held her arm tightly.

"All right." Percy supported her carefully, then turned to look back at the others. "Will you be all right if I leave you three girls here?" he asked them. "Hermione, do you think you can take care of the situation for now?"

Hermione bit her lip, and Ginny turned her head to look over at her. "Prop her up," Ginny whispered. "Don't let her choke on the blood if she hasn't already swallowed it. Get a trash can: she'll be violently ill when she wakes up and for a while afterward. Send her to the Hospital Wing if you don't want to take care of her."

Percy helped Ginny walk away from them, taking her to a secret room off of the Gryffindor Common Room. "I didn't know this was here," she said, trying to look around.

"Most people aren't supposed to," her brother replied, helping her sit down on a cushioned chair. "It's for the prefects and Heads in Gryffindor. And for their use. I think you need to talk, Ginny."

Ginny groaned, her eyes stinging as she fought back tears. "Percy, I'm so tired," she whispered. "I met my friends and we went and played—oh, can you set up wards?" Percy reassured her that the room was well warded and no one outside of it could hear them. "Well," she went on shakily, "we played Search and Curse. My team survived and hunted down all our enemies, but another girl attacked me, and I used a very strong curse on her." Ginny closed her eyes, not wanting to look at Percy. "A Dark curse," she said.

Percy sighed, then bent down and whispered in her ear, "What did it do? Tell me everything."

"She was angry at me because I'd been making fun of her because she'd insulted me, so she Cursed me," Ginny drew a sharp breath. "I cursed her back, and then I became very tired immediately. We had a party after the game, and Fred and George crashed it, telling me that my dorm mates were dying. I ran all the way to Gryffindor. Then I gave my blood to save that stupid girl, and—Percy, would you just let me sleep?"

"I can't, Ginny," he sighed. "Not yet. I have to take you to Madam Pomfrey."

"Wha—no!" cried Ginny in alarm, her eyes bright with tears. "Percy, please!"

"I'm not bound to tell about your playing Search and Curse, Sis, but I am bound to take care of you, by Mum and Dad and by the school," he told her. "Especially after you lost all that blood, and I'd imagine you're also suffering from magical exhaustion. And from that Curse you took."

Ginny became even more pale. "No one can know about those curses," she begged him. "Please, Percy."

He squeezed her hand, sitting beside her. "I won't tell about that," he replied, drawing his wand. "I know how to help you with that." He put the tip of his wand to the base of Ginny's skull, and she tensed. "It's okay," he reassured her, running the tip down her back and murmuring a few words she didn't understand. Part of her pain and tiredness left her, and she sighed gratefully.

"Let's go now," he suggested softly, helping her stand. "Or would you rather I carried or levitated you?"

"Just help me walk," she whispered, blushing in embarrassment. "And please, do you think you could hide us from the view of others?"

Percy nodded, raising his wand and putting a ward around them. Opening the door to the secret room, he led Ginny out, assisting her out the door and down the corridors to the Hospital Wing. Taking the spell off of them, he caught Madam Pomfrey's attention.

The madam came over to them quickly once she noticed the Head Boy. "Is something wrong, Mr. Weasley?" she asked. "Oh, dear." She had seen Ginny's pale face and her trembling form, the girl keeping pressure on her left arm. "Come," she told them, moving them back to a private, curtained-off bed. "What happened?" she asked, as she ran her wand over Ginny, doing a basic medical assessment spell.

"She did several strong spells and now she is tired magically," Percy replied. "She also cut her arm and lost quite a bit of blood. She could barely stand when I found her."

"Oh, dear," said Madam Pomfrey again. "Let me see your cut."

"I don't want it healed," protested Ginny. "I want it to heal on its own!"

"Let me see it," said the madam.

Ginny frowned, holding her arm close to her body. "Don't touch," she said sharply, then uncovered the bloody cut.

Madam Pomfrey sighed and fiddled with her apron. "That will leave a nasty scar unless it's treated," she warned Ginny. "It'll get infected!"

"I want it to scar," Ginny replied, leaning against Percy heavily. "I don't care if it gets infected."

"I do," Percy replied to her. "She can clean it and let it heal on its own, Ginny. She can even just clean it out and put a Protectionary Charm on it."

"I can do that myself," said Ginny stubbornly.

Madam Pomfrey clicked her tongue at Ginny. "Not in your present state," she told the girl. "Let me see it again. I'll do as your brother said." Reluctantly, Ginny held out her arm and allowed the madam to clean out her cut and put the charm on her arm. "Also, you can drink this potion to replenish your blood," Madam Pomfrey told Ginny, summoning two potions across the infirmary by waving her wand, "and this one to help you regain your strength. But you also need to sleep."

"She will stay here tonight, then?" Percy asked the madam. Ginny glared at him, but he ignored her. She was already more than half-asleep, and her sleepy glare made her look ridiculous.

"Yes, of course," Madam Pomfrey reassured them. "I would not let her leave after coming in in the state she did. Now drink those potions, Ms. Weasley!"

Percy lifted one to his sister's lips, and she obediently drank it without protesting. He did the same thing with the second one, and she agreed once again. She collapsed against her brother's chest, and Madam Pomfrey pronounced her asleep. He gently placed her on the bed and carefully put the blanket up over her, being wary of her injured arm.

"May I also stay here tonight?" Percy asked. "She might need to see a familiar face in the morning."

After thinking a moment, the madam nodded and duplicated Ginny's bed, sliding it over to make room for two in the ward. Percy thanked her and the woman walked out of the privacy ward.

He sank down onto the cot and looked down at his little sister. "Ginny," he sighed, "I wish that I could have seen you in action. I'd imagine that you were amazing when you cursed that other girl. I wish I could tell you not to use Dark curses, but I'm not sure I wouldn't do the same thing! I'm sorry, Ginny."

Ginny looked so pale against her red hair. Percy had never seen her hair braided up so beautifully, and wondered who had done it. He looked up as the Hospital Wing door opened and Marlene staggered in, Marianne supporting her.

Madam Pomfrey rushed toward the two girls, and Percy frowned. He just realized that he didn't know what had been in the vial that Marlene had drunk from. Ginny had skirted the issue and ignored his questions.

Marlene was taken to another curtained-off room and Marianne was sent out of the Hospital Wing.

Percy frowned again and looked at Ginny. He decided to set an alarm to let him know if anyone came past the privacy ward or if Ginny woke up. After setting the alarm, Percy lay down, facing Ginny, and fell asleep.

* * *

The Head Boy woke up a couple times during the night, finding Madam Pomfrey come to check on how Ginny was doing. Other than that, nothing else disturbed him. He woke before Ginny did in the morning, and sat up, yawning. Turning toward his sister, he thought that she looked a lot more relaxed than she had the night before.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and grabbed his wand off of the bedside table, removing the wrinkles from his robes. Percy watched Ginny a moment longer, wondering if she would be able to get out of the Hospital Wing that day. He also wondered if he should leave her before she woke up. Percy felt that he was responsible to tell his Head of House what had happened in the girls' dorm, but he didn't want to leave Ginny alone with those who didn't understand what had happened to her.

After a few moments of watching and waiting, Percy saw the Hospital Wing door open and Professor McGonagall came in. Percy frowned in worry. _Why would she come here now? Unless someone went to her...Marianne probably did it._ He scowled at the two staff members talking to each other.

Suddenly, Madam Pomfrey turned and headed right for the privacy ward that was hiding Percy and his sister. Percy immediately looked away from her and watched Ginny instantly until he heard the madam's voice. "Mr. Weasley, Professor McGonagall and I wish to speak with you."

"All right," he replied, standing and leaving the ward after one last look at Ginny. He walked out to McGonagall and nodded at her. "You wished to speak with me, Professor, Madam?" he asked the two witches.

The two looked at each other carefully, and McGonagall asked him, "How long has your sister been cutting herself?"

Percy's normally calm mask froze and his jaw dropped in shock. "No!" he said, shutting down his openness to the conversation. "Ginny wouldn't do that!"

"Mr. Weasley," Madam Pomfrey began, "that cut on her arm is not a normal cut to be gotten just anywhere. That cut was made on purpose. It is straight and deep, while a natural cut would be jagged."

"You're wrong," Percy said stubbornly, his eyes narrowing. "Ginny's not a cutter; she's not suicidal. She wouldn't do that."

McGonagall frowned and said gently, "I know this might be hard to believe for your sister, but the evidence is there. You need to look at this without anything clouding your judgement."

Percy was furious, but hid it behind his dark eyes. "She wouldn't. Did you even consider that just because she has a straight cut doesn't mean that she's trying to kill herself?" he asked, coming dangerously close to snapping at his professor. It would be just wonderful for the injured students to hear the Head Boy yelling at his Head of House. "It might mean that she needed blood for a spell or something, or—someone else could have done it to her. Did you think of that?"

Professor McGonagall frowned. "Mr. Weasley, your tone of voice is not appreciated," she said firmly. "Twenty points from Gryffindor."

Poppy looked shocked, but Percy said nothing. _Why so many points? Because I'm the Head Boy, of course._ He wanted to turn his back on the two of them and go back to Ginny, but he thought, _I wonder how many points she would take away? Am I that loyal to Gryffindor?_ A bitter smile played across his lips. _Definitely not. But I am loyal to my position, though for the most part I order around stupid prefects who still haven't found their way in life. I wonder if I was like that two years ago?_

"We wished to know if she had a history of such things or if it was something she started over the summer," Madam Pomfrey interjected.

"We need to know if it's important enough to call in your parents," McGonagall said. "As it is, Professor Dumbledore will be coming down to assess the situation himself and then write to your parents about it. In fact, we should go speak to Ginny if she's awake and hear what she has to say."

Percy turned and walked away toward the ward before he said something he'd regret. He hoped Ginny was awake because he didn't want to deal with how she woke up when the two other witches were in the room. Unfortunately, Ginny was not awake, and the two women said that they would wait for Dumbledore to arrive before they woke Ginny up. Percy saw a muscle twitch in Ginny's face and wondered if she was really asleep. He also wondered what Ginny would do if she woke up and saw Dumbledore looking at her. Snickering under his breath, Percy thought to himself that if _he_ woke up without someone who looked rather like Father Christmas leaning over him, he'd probably jump up screaming and run out of the room!

Waiting for Dumbledore was hard, because Percy had the opinion that the Headmaster had no sense of time. As it was, Percy was the first to spot the Headmaster's entrance into the Hospital Wing. None of the students lying in their beds noticed him as he headed straight for the ward that the four of them were in.

The instant Dumbledore entered the ward, Percy felt that something was wrong. He said nothing, uneasily shifting his weight as he sat on his bed, the three staff members on the other side of Ginny's bed.

"Oh, dear, she's asleep," said Dumbledore. "Hello, Percy, how are you?"

"Doing well, Headmaster Dumbledore," replied the Head Boy dutifully.

"What do you know of your sister's situation?" he asked the Weasley boy.

Percy frowned. "She—she needed her blood to help someone," he replied. "She wasn't cutting herself to hurt herself: she was trying to help one of her dorm mates."

McGonagall looked at him in disapproval. "You did not tell me that to begin with," she scolded him sharply.

"You did not allow me to speak what I knew," Percy replied, "and I acquiesed to your commands."

"What happened that would cause young Ginny to cut herself for her dorm mates?" Dumbledore asked Percy.

The Head Boy frowned. "Marlene Heark drank part of an experimental substance that Ginny had been working with out of an unlabled vial," he replied. "It poisoned her, and nearly killed her."

McGonagall disagreed. "Second years can hardly create things that would kill their dorm mates," she protested.

"Ginny is _not_ normal," Percy retorted, trying to keep his tone respectful. "But she didn't give it to Heark: the girl drank it herself without thinking of what it could possibly be. You didn't see Heark's face when she was lying on the ground, unconscious. When Ginny came up to the room after the twins found her, she told us to get back and then cut her arm, readying to help her dorm mate. She told us that, in order to keep Heark alive, the amount of blood she gave to the girl had to equal the amount of the substance that Heark had swallowed. Ginny was absolutely exhausted after she finished, and could barely stand on her own. My guess is that she was light-headed from what she had done. Then I brought her up to the Hospital Wing. I swear she's not a cutter and that she's not suicidal."

Madam Pomfrey looked at Ginny strangely. "She supposedly saved Heark's life, but the girl came in last night, violently ill, and there was nothing I could do."

Percy nearly laughed out loud, but just managed to say, "I think that you have to let whatever she drank run it's course, even if she does vomit up half her guts."

"Is that what Ginny said?" McGonagall asked sternly.

"No," Percy replied. "She said that if the number of drops were equal, that it would just make Heark very ill instead of killing her."

"Well," said Dumbledore, "let's see this cut of hers and see if it matches the story."

Percy watched, then said, "Left arm." McGonagall rolled up Ginny's sleeve with her wand and Madam Pomfrey removed the Protectionary Charm.

Tension mounted in the room, and as soon as Dumbledore grasped Ginny's arm to steady it, Ginny's eyes flew open and she bounded out of bed, wrenching away from the Headmaster and flinging herself into her brother's arms. "Don't touch me," she snarled at the three.

The Head Boy held his sister in amazement as he replayed her fiery reaction in his mind. "It's okay, Ginny," he reassured her. "They wanted to see your cut."

"Because you don't believe my brother," Ginny said coldly, feeling Percy squeeze her as a reminder to be calm and respectful to her professors. "Here." She stuck out her left arm, yanking her sleeve up again since it had fallen down. "Oh, goodness, you reopened it. Thanks."

"Ginny," Percy whispered to her, "stop it."

Dumbledore apologized for startling her, and Ginny scowled at him, clinging to Percy. "Let me see," Percy said softly, touching his wand to Ginny's arm. " **Medico** ," he said softly, with the intent to heal and leave a scar. Ginny watched, then ran her thumb over the scar, smiling up at Percy.

"You left a scar," Dumbledore said to Percy in surprise. He had supposed that the Head Boy could do a better job than that!

"Ginny didn't want it to be cleanly healed," Percy replied. "She wanted a scar."

"I wanted to remember," Ginny replied. "What better reminder than this beautiful scar?"

McGonagall frowned. "Scars are not beautiful," she said.

Ginny sighed, "Scars are to remind us of where we have come from. This one will serve its purpose well."

"Is that all you needed to know?" Percy asked the three staff members.

"Did anyone else witness any of this?" Dumbledore asked.

Ginny nodded. "Fred and George, Marianne, and Hermione saw a lot of it," she replied. "If you can get Marianne to talk and tell the truth, she'd be the best to ask. Hermione's next. Fred and George only saw the desparate life-saving part."

McGonagall nodded and the two professors stepped back. "I am glad that it is not as bad as we feared," McGonagall told Percy and Ginny before she and the Headmaster left the privacy ward. "We won't have to write your parents or call them here."

"Thank goodness," Ginny breathed, sinking against Percy. "I don't think I could have abided that!"

Percy well agreed with her, and Madam Pomfrey said to Ginny, "As long as you regain your strength, you can probably go back to your Tower tonight."

Ginny nodded, then told the two, "I'm going back to bed, then. I'll see you later, Percy."

"Goodbye," he whispered, then lay her down in her bed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Sleep well," he told her, then walked out of the Hospital Wing.


	16. Discovered and Bugged

Days later, one of Pansy's older friends sneaked off of Hogwarts' grounds with her, avoiding the dementors and managing to apparate away. "Thank you," she told him, then disappeared into the Floo Network, going home.

Stepping out of the fireplace, Pansy walked right into the drawing room of her home, where her mother and sister sat, talking together. "Pansy!" said the younger girl excitedly, hurrying to give her big sister a hug.

"Hi, Peony," she replied to the younger girl. "Mother, may I talk to you alone for a few minutes?"

Reyallia Parkinson motioned her younger daughter to leave the room and put up wards after Peony did so. "What did you find out?" she asked Pansy.

"As I've watched Estella, I've found that she's a very good duellist," Pansy replied frankly. "She can lie very easily and believably, but she has a hot temper and it gets her in trouble. She also has more compassion and mercy than the rest of us have. But, Mum, I saw her downed by _Crucio,_ get up and use a Dark Arts curse on one of our prefects without remorse."

"Then she is much like her real parents," said Pansy's father, coming into the room and greeting his daughter. "She does not act like a Gryffindor?"

"When Draco is taunting her, or when someone says something about the Weasley boys," Pansy replied. "She still claims them as her brothers, even to us. Estella seems to be able to display abilities from every house, actually. She is becoming less Gryffindor, though, and some of the professors have taken notice. Estella acts much like us, but is as kind and loyal as a Hufflepuff too."

Pansy's parents looked at each other carefully. "Pansy, Reginald and Meretta want to meet their daughter," Larosil said after a moment. "But they want to make sure that she can be trusted to keep secrets and not say anything about meeting them. Their safety is more important than a family reunion."

The dark-haired girl nodded in understanding. "I believe that she could keep the secret, but she would not willingly go somewhere blindly."

Larosil nodded. "We'll take care of that," he said. "You don't have to worry about that. Just keep your eyes open, and we'll let you know when the time comes."

Pansy smiled. "See you later," she told them and walked into the fireplace, heading back to Hogwarts.

* * *

Fred and George cornered Ginny in the Entrance Hall the next Friday at lunch and made her come sit between them. "Gin, we have the vial," George whispered to her. "We took off with it before McGonagall saw the scene. And we cleaned up the venom that was spilled."

Ginny stared at her brothers. "How do you know it was venom? I never said that."

The two boys looked at each other carefully, and Fred sighed. "You began to say it when you were giving Heark blood, but you never finished it. You said another word instead because you didn't want people to know what it was. That's why we took it so that no one would be able to test it. George has it warded in his trunk in our room," Fred told his sister. "You can come up and get it after your class."

"Okay," Ginny said with a sigh. "Thank you. It's been crazy this week, but at least I haven't had to deal with Heark in class every day."

"I can't believe that she's been sick for this long," Fred snickered. "And she brought it on herself! It's like...poetic justice or something."

Ginny laughed ruefully. "I should have put the vial away, but I'm glad that everything turned out all right. But I am sure that Heark's going to curse me first thing when she finally gets over herself."

The twins snorted. "You'll be able to handle her," George said confidently.

"Yes," she sighed. "Professor Snape incorporated a little rant into one of his lectures about children experimenting with things they know nothing about. It was directed at me!"

"Poor child," cooed Fred, leaning over against Ginny and grinning directly into her eyes. "He's done that to us before, too. But we've never almost killed anyone..."

"Fred, I didn't," Ginny insisted. "You have to understand that none of this was my doing!"

"We know, Ginny," George replied. "That's probably the only reason you got off. And Percy told us that McGonagall had accused you of cutting yourself."

Fred shrugged. "The woman's always been a bit batty," he told Ginny in a confidential tone, a twinkle in his eye. "But I'd never seen Percy so...upset before."

Ginny nodded, finally beginning to eat her lunch. "Yes, he was quite disturbed over everything that he'd seen," she replied. "He's been very helpful to me since this summer. I think we got along rather well this entire time. And now, you should let me eat so that I'm not late to Herbiology."

The twins laughed and continued talking until Ginny had finished, stood up, and walked out on them.

* * *

To Ginny's surprise, the same day Heark got out of the Hospital Wing, Percy put the twins _into_ the Hospital Wing. He offered no explanation, and Fred barely managed to gasp that it was a family thing. When Ginny went up to visit them, they confided in her that they had tested their Monkey Munch pieces on Percy, and that he made a very good monkey.

"Unfortunately, he became human again," George said with a smirk. "I didn't know he could curse that fast!"

"Of course," Fred replied, partially sitting up and looking at his twin and his sister. "He had to practice so he could become faster than Ginny. Because she embarrassed him pretty badly last year."

"When are you getting out of the Hospital Wing?" Ginny asked them.

The boys shrugged. "Probably by tonight and at least by tomorrow," George told her.

Ginny nodded. "So when are you going to begin selling the Kanga Caramels and Monkey Munches?" she queried.

"Now, Ginny, we can't tell you that," Fred protested.

"But we can tell you that as soon as we get out of here, we'll be starting that flame fingernail polish that the Charlestons asked us about," George told Ginny excitedly. "We hope they'll like it; but don't tell them yet."

Ginny smiled. "I won't," she told them. "I'm sure you want to surprise them."

The twins grinned at her. "We didn't even have time to begin working on it," they told her. "We're going to pay attention in class more and get our homework done faster in order to make time."

"Right," Ginny said. "You're going to begin paying attention in class? Sure you are, sure you are."

"Ginny, you little doubter," Fred said, flopping down in the bed.

"I know, I know," Ginny said apologetically. "One of you pays attention while the other brainstorms, and then you switch roles for the next class."

George laughed and told Ginny, "We make it work."

Ginny snickered and began to laugh with them. "I know you do," she said. "I'll see you later; I've got homework to do."

"Bye, Ginny," the boys called after her as she left.

* * *

Ginny did some of her homework in the library after supper, but decided that she would go up to her dorm room and finish it there. When she arrived in the room, all four of the other girls stood up and drew their wands, pointing them at her. "What is this?" Ginny asked, grabbing the strap of her bookbag and moving it up her shoulder.

"You are not staying here tonight," Marianne said without lowering her wand. Marlene said nothing, and the other two glanced at each other and bit their lips, saying nothing. "You've been nothing but nasty to me and the rest of the girls, and because today was the day Marlene was finally released from the Hospital Wing, we don't want you here to mess up our celebration tonight."

Feeling hurt and angry, Ginny turned around and walked out of her dorm room, slamming the door behind her. A prefect looked out of one of the rooms and told her not to slam the doors, but Ginny didn't even look at her. Heading down the stairs, Ginny hurried through the corridors and her secret passages down to the dungeons, entering the Slytherin Common Room.

Ginny realized that she didn't know many of the Slytherins that were in the Common Room just then and decided that she would sit over in the corner to finish her homework. Ginny was hoping that some of the girls would notice her and invite her to stay in their room for the night.

About an essay and and few study chapters later, someone come over to and stood in front of Estella. Looking up, she realized that it was Lauren. "Did the girls invite you?" she asked first.

"No," Ginny replied. "Four Gryffindors forced me to leave my dorm room, so I came down here where no one bothers me, for the most part."

"You have to leave before lights-out," Lauren told her. "Hear me out," said the girl, holding up her hand as Ginny frowned up at her. "There's an inspection tonight here in the dorms, and you can't be found. Not as Ginny, not as Estella. You need to leave before that time, and preferably be...in your own place."

Ginny just looked up at Lauren without saying anything. _Tom_! she cried, _I don't have anywhere to go! I won't go back to Gryffindor tonight, and if I can't stay here, what will I do?_

"Would your Ravenclaw cousin shelter you tonight?" Lauren asked quietly.

"I don't know," Ginny said, gathering her things and standing up.

"I only said that you have to be out of here by lights-out," Lauren reminded her.

The dark-haired girl shrugged. "I might as well go now, anyways," she said. "I have to figure out something." Shouldering her bookbag, Estella quickly left the Common Room.

She headed into her secret passageway and tears began to sting her eyes. "No, no, no," she muttered to herself, pressing her fist against the side of her head. "I won't cry. That's stupid."

 _Ginny Love,_ came Tom's voice, making her stumble in the passage. _You can come down to the Chamber and stay here tonight. It'll protect you._

 _Thank you,_ Ginny replied, then almost began to run through the passage in order to get to one of the Chamber entrances quickly. She hissed the Chamber open, then slid down the pipe, landing on the floor in the entrance room. Shutting the Chamber behind her, Ginny picked up her scattered books and ran toward the main gates, hissing them open as she ran.

The stone basilisks on the gates opened their eyes and looked at her. "Welcome back, Missstress," they hissed to her.

Ginny glanced at them and barely nodded before running by. Tom was waiting for her in the main room and she threw her books down, jumping into his arms. He hugged her to himself tightly, feeling her tremble as she struggled against her emotions. "It's all right, Estella," he told her softly. "It's just you and I here; you can cry if you need to."

Looking up at him in surprise, she whispered, "Tom, you called me Estella!"

Tom grinned with a slight shrug and answered, "Yes."

"Only they call me Estella," she said, laying her head against Tom's robe. "They—and your cousin."

"Ginevra!" Tom protested, disturbed. "I have been realizing recently that you are more and more like a Slytherin—Estella—and less and less like a Gryffindor—Ginevra. That's why I called you Estella: that and the fact that your hair is black right now."

She sighed deeply, and Tom put his right hand on the top of her head, fingering her dark hair. "Tom," she said, reaching up and pushing his hand down.

"Sorry," he replied, releasing her. He stepped back and said, "You can stay in any room you wish; just take your pick."

"Thanks," she said with a smile, picking up her bookbag and dancing off to find a room.

Tom followed her. "You know that I've given you full run of the Chamber," he said matter-of-factly. "You're a Keeper of the Chamber of Secrets, Estella. The basilisks recognized you with your black hair."

"They never said anything to me before," she replied, flopping down on a double bed in one of the side rooms. "Why now?"

"Because I think they know your heritage, and when you came down as yourself, they greeted you as their mistress," Tom replied, watching the girl thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" demanded Ginny, looking at him sharply. "My heritage?"

He nodded slowly. "There are things that you do not know about your family's history that you should probably know," Tom told her. "I can show you—or you can research it on your own."

"I don't want to be on my own," sighed Ginny, slipping her arm under the pillow and curling up on the bed. "Are you going to stay with me tonight?"

Smiling, Tom shook his head. "Not here with you. Elsewhere in the Chamber," Tom replied.

Estella sighed and closed her eyes. "I wish that everything wasn't so difficult," she whispered. "Last year was simple compared to this."

Tom sat down on the bed and touched his hand to her cheek, making her eyes fly open in surprise. "Don't wish for time past," he said softly, his thumb running over her lips, his eyes betraying his anxiety. "Live for the present, and for the future."

Silenced, Ginny looked at Tom, studying his expression. Her heart pounded as her mind tried to figure out what Tom's strange gaze meant. She nodded wordlessly, catching his hand as he drew it away from her and squeezing it. "Thank you," she whispered as he rose to leave.

He smiled at her and bending down, kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Ginny Love," he told her before winking at her playfully and leaving the room.

"Goodnight!" she called after him. Ginny wrapped herself up in her blanket and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

In the morning, Ginny sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Tom?" she called, but there was no answer. She stretched and yawned, thinking that he was probably still asleep. Looking over at her bookbag, she moaned and flopped back down on the bed. "I don't want to go to class," she told the ceiling firmly. "All four of them stood against me, and I don't want to face them!"

The ceiling did not reply, and Ginny frowned at it. "Fine. I'll quit whining," she sighed, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and sitting up again. "Let's get ready for class," she told herself, trying to get motivated. "Yeah." She stood up and remembered that she was in the Chamber of Secrets. "Oh, lovely," she said, looking around.

The wardrobe in the room caught Ginny's attention, and she went over to it, wondering if there were robes in it. Opening the door to the wardrobe, Ginny looked in and gasped in amazement. Robes were neatly hung in the wardrobe: rich robes that didn't look like they were made for a Weasley. Ginny reached out and touched one, gasping in surprise at how soft it felt.

Picking out one that seemed to be less decorous than the others, Ginny pulled it out of the wardrobe and shut the door. After she'd put the robe on, she was surprised to find that it shrank and grew in several places! Worried, she hurried to the mirror and found that the robe had altered itself to fit her perfectly! Ginny giggled, pleased with what she had found.

Ginny hurriedly pulled her braid down and unbraided her hair, shaking it out with vigor. Pulling a comb from her bag, she transfigured it into a brush and quickly brushed out her hair, yelping when her brush kept catching on snarls. Finally, Ginny put her hair up in a looped ponytail, making sure that her hair was held up out of the way for Potions class. Even though Potions wasn't first, Ginny wanted to always make sure that she kept her hair out of the way of whatever she did in class.

Jumping into her shoes, Ginny grabbed her bookbag and hurried out of the side room. She found Tom sitting on a boulder, waiting for her. "Why didn't you answer when I called?" Ginny asked.

Tom shrugged. "Because you weren't dressed and I didn't want to have to come dress you," he replied, making Ginny's face turn red. Tom laughed and stood up, coming toward the girl. "Good luck today in class," he told her. "I'll be watching to see what happens. Oh, and don't forget to transfigure your appearance again."

"Okay," Ginny laughed, throwing her arms around Tom and hugging him tightly. "Thank you for letting me stay down here."

"Ginny Love," Tom said firmly, "you are a Keeper of the Chamber of Secrets. You don't have to have my permission to stay down here because you are a Keeper. Maybe you should talk to the Stone Basilisks about being a Keeper: they would know how to explain different things to you. Oh, and don't forget to research your family's history."

"Why can't you just tell me?" Ginny asked, shifting her bag to the other shoulder.

Tom shrugged. "I could, but it would take a while and you have to get to class," he replied. "You could come back later and I'll go over it with you. I did some research on you and your family over the summer to see what I could find, and I think you'll be quite interested in what I found."

Ginny nodded and squeezed Tom again. "I'll talk to you later," she said, and Tom snorted.

"If you stay in your dorm room tonight, it'll be a miracle," he scoffed. "Stupid Gryffindors."

She shrugged apologetically and left the Chamber, heading to up to her dorm room to get her needed books for the other classes she had that day. Ginny quickly hurried through the girls' dorm hallway to her room, hoping that her dorm mates weren't there. To her relief, none of them were, and her things had not been touched by them. Quickly gathering the books and things she needed, Ginny hurried out of the room.

She was running down the hall when a door opened and Ginny crashed into the girl at full speed. "Oh, goodness!" shouted Ginny, realizing she'd knocked the girl down the stairs!

Drawing her wand, Ginny managed to just freeze the girl in mid-air before she hid the staircase. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ginny levitated the girl up the stairs and helped her stand. "Hermione?" gasped Ginny with a groan. "I didn't mean to knock you down the stairs! Are you all right?"

"Yes," gasped the brown-haired girl, managing to crack a smile. "That was quite a fall! How did you catch me?"

"It was just a reaction," Ginny said, hanging her head. "I don't know how I did it. It was an emergency reaction."

"Accidental magic?" Hermione questioned. "I guess I'm lucky."

Ginny winced. "Yeah. Accidentally lucky."

Hermione looked at her for a few moments longer, then asked, "What have you got up your sleeve, Ginny?"

Ginny stared. "What do you mean?"

"I saw something move," Hermione insisted. "Up your sleeve."

"It was my arm," Ginny said, turning around and beginning to head toward the stairs.

"No, it wasn't." Hermione's sharp voice stopped Ginny in her tracks, turning her around. "Ginny, your dorm mates won't appreciate rubber snakes around them," Hermione warned her with a frown.

Feeling Icythan stir in annoyance, Ginny sighed. "Hermione, it's not a rubber snake." Yanking up her sleeve, Ginny exposed Icythan.

Hermione jumped back, her hands over her mouth in horror. "Ginny!" she gasped in a whisper. "Where did you get _that_?"

Icythan raised his head and hissed, "I am _not_ a _that_!"

Ginny looked down at him, then said to Hermione, "He is not a _that,_ or an _it._ He is a serpent, and his name is Icythan."

"You're—you're a—" Hermione said in a whisper.

"Yes," Ginny replied softly. "Harry knows, and all my family knows. They know about Icythan as well. He belongs to me and will continue to, although no one else except for a few of my friends know of his existance."

"Right," said Hermione, almost sarcastically, looking at Ginny. "Those twins and the others. I'm sure they love your serpent."

"Yes, and my Ravenclaw friends, as well as an occasional Hufflepuff or two," Ginny retorted. "I don't only have Slytherin friends, Hermione, and I have Slytherin enemies too."

Hermione nodded, then carefully put her arm around Ginny's waist. "Just be careful," she said softly. "Harry seemed concerned about you the other day; he was asking Ron what happened to you during the summer, but Ron wouldn't talk."

Ginny bit her lip. "It depends on how much he remembers," Ginny said finally. "I don't know how much we let him remember."

" _We_?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Icythan and I," replied Ginny, rolling her sleeve back down.

Hermione looked closely at the serpent, and said, "His eyes are so beautiful, Ginny! They're emerald green!"

Ginny froze in shock, then stared down at her serpent when he looked up at her. "Missstress isss more beautiful when my eyesss are open," he hissed at her, with a tiny serpent grin. "Although she looksss better with black hair."

"She looked into your eyesss and didn't die?" Ginny gasped at Icythan, ignoring his compliment.

"Of courssse not," Icythan sputtered, then added, "I sssee now what you were thinking. I am not that kind of basssilisssk, Missstress: there isss more than one ssspeciesss of usss. I do not kill with my eyesss, but my bite."

Hermione had stepped back from the two that were hissing at each other, eyeing them carefully. "Um, Ginny," she said, "what's going on?"

"Nothing," Ginny replied with a sigh, almost annoyed that Icythan wasn't as dangerous as she thought. "Now I really must go," she told Hermione. "I'm going to be late to McGonagall's class!"

 _Not if you run,_ Tom told her with amusement as Icythan hissed at Ginny that he was just as dangerous as any other kind of basilisk.

And so Ginny did run. She ran all the way, dashing through the halls and dodging prefects and professors and anything else that seemed it would stop her. Stepping up to the classroom door, Ginny quickly opened the door and walked in, just as McGonagall called for attention.

"I do believe that Ginevra has the attention, Professor," Marlene spoke up, flashing a wicked smile in Ginny's direction.

"That will do, Heark," said McGonagall sharply. "Ms. Weasley, sit down. If you are late again in the next two weeks, you will receive immediate detention."

"Yes, Professor," Ginny replied, sitting down next to Cherea without another word.

Cherea reached over and touched Ginny's hand reassuringly as they listened to the lecture. McGonagall went on and on about the proper way to turn a stone into a beetle, and the Ravenclaws were becoming quite impatient to begin their classwork.

Finally, one of the Ravenclaws raised his hand. "Professor, Mark's got sixteen beetles running around on his desk!"

The other Ravenclaws looked at their housemate and the Gryffindors burst out laughing except for the squeamish girls. "I contained them on the desk so they wouldn't get away," Mark explained for McGonagall's benefit.

"Very good," she said after coming down from her desk and looking over the beetles. "There are a variety here. Were the stones all different?"

"Some of them were," Mark replied. "I tried to get ones that were close to the same size, but it was hard."

Ginny frowned, wondering where the Ravenclaw boy had gotten the rocks from in the middle of Professor McGonagall's classroom. Nobody, but nobody took _anything_ out from under her long, pointed nose unless they wanted trouble (or unless they were just plain stupid).

Cherea tugged Ginny's sleeve, then whispered, "He transfigured them out of the wall, out of part of the stone. He didn't use separate stones; he just used several large stones and made parts of them several beetles, one at a time."

Ginny shook her head as McGonagall began handing out the practice stones. "This is an easy spell," Cherea said. "And, it can be a very helpful spell as well. Imagine, if you were attacked, transfiguring a stone or rock into a beetle that could attack and fight for you. How about an army of Mark's sixteen beetles, super-sized by _Engorgio_? That would be amazing!"

"Yup," giggled Ginny as she pointed her wand at the beetle. "Are we allowed to randomly colour them as we transfigure them?" she asked her cousin.

"Probably," Cherea replied. "Just do it and don't worry about it."

"'Don't worry about it,' she says," grumbled Ginny to herself. "McGonagall only notices me when I'm late or when I transfigure your incisors into fangs. She has no idea what I can do."

"Don't even _think_ about trying to show her what you can do," Cherea warned. "It won't end well. And you're not a stinking show-off, so stop thinking that way." She turned a shouted swear word into a very interestly-altered exclamation. "My beetle got away!" she said in annoyance.

Laughter rocked the classroom, and two more beetles scuttled across the floor, diving into cracks in the wall. "Oh well," Stanley said, shrugging at his empty desk.

McGonagall nodded at him. "Nicely done," she told him. "It is unusual for a student to let his beetle get away on the first try. Good thing it isn't too common, or I'd be overrun with beetles in here."

An idea shot through Ginny's head with the rapidity of an arrow, and Tom jumped mentally. _Ginny Love, no,_ he told her. _That will get you in trouble. Save that idea for later. This is only your second year, remember?_

 _I've got one life, Tom_ , she replied.

 _Yes, and one time of expulsion too,_ Tom told her. _If you do something she doesn't like, it'd be easy for her to write you up for expulsion, straight to Dumbledore. And after you screamed and jumped away from Dumbledore like he was the Dark Lord himself, I'm not sure that the Headmaster would be so sure that you can function healthfully in a school like this._

Ginny huffed bitterly. _It's not the school; it's the_ House _the sodding Sorting Hat put me in,_ she retorted.

 _He did that on purpose because you annoyed him,_ Tom told her. _Sometimes he's as sadistic and nasty as his owner. You remember, don't you, Ginny? The Sorting Hat came from Godric's head...?_

 _Enough said,_ groaned Ginny, rubbing her head as her orange half-beetle and half-rock staggered around on her desk. " **Stupefy**!" she whispered, pointing her wand at the beetle. "Goodness." She concentrated on finding the missing ends and hurried to turn the rest of the rock into the beetle. "Finally," she sighed, noting Cherea's desk slowly filling with different colours and sizes of beetles. "How many have you got?" she asked her cousin.

"A few," Cherea replied, setting down a squirming green and silver bug.

"What are you going to do with them?" Ginny asked curiously as her own beetle woke up and ran around the desk as if it had had too many butter-beers. "Goodness, stupid," she told it, then looked back at Cherea.

Cherea shrugged, pointing her wand at her desk and standing back a little. "I'm going to..." she began, then swore out loud as her beetles began to scatter off of her desk. "I'm sorry, Professor," she said worriedly, "but—" Cherea pointed to the wave of beetles that were all running toward the walls.

Some of the Gryffindors shrieked as the beetles crawled up the desks and into different places. Looking stricken, Cherea turned to McGonagall. "I was going to try a blanket spell to change them back into rocks, but I must have disturbed the ward I put on my desk."

McGonagall nodded, watching a particularly interesting beetle with the words "eat me" inscribed on it scramble into a crack in the wall. "You may all leave, and I will take care of the wards and beetles that you leave," she told her students.

Cherea and Ginny swung their bookbags over their shoulders and marched out of the room together. "I can't believe that you let all of those beetles get away," Ginny sighed. "They would be perfect to let loose in the prefect bathroom.

The dark-haired girl turned and grinned at Ginny. "Winner of an idea!" she said. "But you know what? I didn't let them get away. I let them go."

"You wanted the room overrun?" Ginny said in disbelief.

"No," Cherea giggled. "I want brightly-coloured beetles with words on them running around her classroom while she teaches. It's far better to watch them run around than it is to watch her lecture on a process that most of us already know and understand."

Ginny burst out laughing. "I had the idea of setting beetles free in her classroom, but I never could have pulled it off like you did," she told her cousin.

"Bet you could," Cherea replied. "You'll learn to. You'll have to, to survive in the twins' world. It's a jungle out there."

"Nah, it's a Forest," disagreed Ginny with a grin.

"Oh, get away with you," scolded Cherea, laughing. "You'll be late for class."

Ginny shrugged and bounced off down the hall toward the corridors that would take her toward the dungeons for Potions class. She bounced down the passageway, making sure to hold her wandlight up good enough to light the passage well ahead of her. She didn't want to stumble over anything like she had the previous week.

Getting down to the classroom, Ginny opened the door and walked in. Beatrix and Flora greeted her, waving her to come and sit with them for a little bit before they had to go to their own cauldrons for class. "How are you doing?" Bea asked her. "I've been hearing all about what your dorm mates have been doing to you from Thorin. Apparently you didn't even stay in your dorm room last night!"

Frowning, Ginny said, "I forgot that Hufflepuffs like gossip. I guess that's why he's a Hufflepuff. It's got to be close to the only reason that he's your housemate."

Flora frowned at Ginny. "I'm not sure if that's nice of you at all," she said.

"It's not," Bea reassured her. "But where did you stay last night?"

"With a friend," Ginny replied.

"Okay," Flora said, "but if they ever take it upon themselves to decide that you aren't allowed to stay with them again, then you can just come down to our House and stay with us. We've sheltered all kinds before, or so some of the older students say."

"Thanks," Ginny said with a slight grin, tilting her head at the two girls. "I'll remember that."

Bea grinned and slipped her arm around Ginny's shoulders. "Did Heark really try to commit suicide?"

"No," said Ginny sharply. "She didn't know what was in the vial when she drank it."

"Oh," replied Bea. "It was blessed not to have her in class for a week!"

Laughing, Ginny snickered, "I'm sure!"

"Weasley—Ginny," said Kefira with a sigh, "Marlene has got it in her head that—"

The door opened and Marlene and Marianne walked in. "Oh, goodness," said Bea. "Just when we thought we were free..."

"—then Ms. Gryffindor walks in," Ginny finished.

"Weasley, I'm going to kill you," snarled Marlene, and Marianne exchanged frightened looks with her other two dorm mates.

"Well, you can try," Ginny replied, shrugging Bea's arm off of her shoulder.

Heark's eyes sparked angrily and she reached for her wand, a voice stopping her. "Did you forget where your chair is, Heark?" sneered Snape. "Front row, middle chair. Now."

Heark hurried to sit down, but turned and glared at Ginny. "I will get my revenge, Ginevra. You tried to kill me!"

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "I did not. If I had tried, I would not have failed."

Flora gasped in horror, looking at Bea as if to discourage her from associating with Ginny. Stanley looked over at Ginny and the angry Gryffindor, then said, "I told you to be careful around Ginny, Heark, but you never heed warnings."

"Gryffindors never do," Thorin replied from back in a corner. "They don't learn from others' mistakes, or even their own mistakes."

"Well said, Mr. Ridgebeck," Snape said without expression. "Two points to Hufflepuff."

All the Hufflepuffs shifted awkwardly, looking at each other, and Thorin smirked over at the Gryffindors, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his chair back against the wall. Ginny, Flora, and Bea all glanced at each other, amazed that Thorin had actually gained points from Snape!

Marlene was furious once again, biting her lip until blood ran down her face. Marianne thought about levitating a handkerchief up to her dorm mate, but decided against it when Snape glared at her. Marianne hid her face behind her Potions text and wondered how she was going to get out of the trouble that her childhood friend had gotten her into.

* * *

After class, Thorin came up to Ginny and casually draped his arm around her waist, grinning at Flora and Bea. "Excuse us," he said, tugging Ginny away from them.

Someone cat-called and Thorin grinned as Ginny blushed. "I was just going to ask the lady if she'd sit with me at lunch today," he said, loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear. Ginny's ears turned red as she replied, "Yes."

Thorin and Ginny walked out of the classroom together and headed down the hall, his arm still around her. "Passageway?" she asked him, and Tom yelped, _Ginevra, no!_

To Tom's relief, Thorin shook his head, eyes twinkling. "I wanted your dorm mates to see us," he replied. "Listen carefully. Marlene won't try to kill you, I don't think, but she _will_ try to put you in the Hospital Wing—for a good long time. Look out for and try to avoid her. She'll put up a good curse fight, I'd imagine. She has the temperament for it."

"But she's so hotheaded that it might not—"

"But it would," Thorin replied sharply, suddenly squeezing Ginny tightly and making her tense away from him. "Ginny, she's good. Be careful."

Ginny frowned at him and sighed. "Let's just go get lunch," she said. "Now that you've made us the talk of Hufflepuff House."

Thorin laughed. "You'll have fans," he warned her.

"I don't _want_ fans," Ginny groaned.

"You can also have loyal friends and _protectors_ ," Thorin emphasized.

Ginny scowled at him. "Are you that worried about me?"

"No. I'm absolutely convinced that you're the only thing keeping Heark from achieving 'queenship' among the younger girls at Hogwarts," Thorin replied. "Heark would be a very dangerous person to have as the female idol around here."

"Oh, goodness," spat Ginny. "You want me to keep Marlene from being a brat so that the other girls don't follow her? But if I stop her, then the girls might follow me! I don't want girls—or boys—following me around!"

Thorin sighed. "Ginny, listen. The entire castle would rather they follow you, the crazy one who doesn't do anything normal or anything the normal way, than to have the girls follow Heark, who is a heartless, self-centered, arrogant embodiement of everything Gryffindor stands for!"

Ginny scowled. "How would you know this?"

"Hufflepuffs know all the gossip, remember?" Thorin reminded her of her words.

"Oh. I'm sorry I said that," Ginny muttered. "I didn't exactly mean it. I was just annoyed with you—"

"—as you are now," the boy added. "Do you still want to sit with me at lunch?"

Ginny turned and smirked at him. "Bring it on," she said.


	17. History and Heritage

The after lunch DADA class Ginny attended went very smoothly, but Ginny still managed to make herself look stupid by getting completely tangled up in the strange plant that Lupin was trying to teach them to avoid. Stanley, Ben, and one of the other boys (not Colin!) came to her rescue and helped her out of the tangle, but Ginny was embarrassed.

As soon as the students were excused, Ginny escaped the room as quickly as she could. Ginny hurried down the halls and quickly changed her appearance so that she could go down to the Slytherin Common Room.

Almost as soon as Estella walked into the Common Room, Lauren came over to her. Swallowing a groan, Ginny looked up into the girl's blue eyes and waited to be kicked out of the dungeons. Lauren watched her a minute, then said, "Come on up to my dorm room. You can stay here tonight, but none of the girls from your year are here right now."

Ginny hesitated, annoyed that every time she came to the Common Room, Lauren was in charge. _It's okay, Ginny,_ Tom scolded her. _The Slytherins almost always have a girl who is mostly in charge of the Slytherin girls, and I'm guessing it's Lauren. Probably a good thing, since she's Draco's cousin. Once Draco rises to prominence in Slytherin, the two of them will be good leaders._

 _It's annoying._

Tom sighed and shook his head. _Ginny Love, just go with her and be good!_

Pasting a smile on her face, Ginny followed Lauren up the dorm stairs to the girls' dorm. Once they were in Lauren's room, with two of her dorm mates looking on, Lauren said, "I couldn't let you stay here last night because there was going to be an inspection to see that all of the students were in their beds, and we heard about it. I didn't want you to be found down here, because first of all, it's unusual, and second, Slytherins generally don't accept extrahouse members."

"Right," said Ginny without emotion. "Can't let anyone know that Slytherin's acting any different than usual."

Lauren's face darkened. "You brat!" she spat. "You're the one who's different! At least, we thought you were! You sound like your Gag-me Gryffindor brothers!"

"Only Ron's like that," Ginny snapped right back, her hair ribbon falling out and her hair coming down. "Fred and George and Percy aren't like that! But you wouldn't know, because all Slytherins are nasty to them."

"Oh, yeah, right," said one of the other girls. "Lauren actually _dated_ one of the twins before you came, Estella. She knows about them, all right."

"Shut up," Lauren hissed at them.

Estella nodded. "Fred said something about that. That was when I accused them of being just as hard-headed as Mum and Ron. The twins didn't appreciate that."

Lauren sighed. "We Slytherins mean to keep our image as evil little Dark Wizards who run around making trouble in our world," said the girl. "Kind of like you keep your Ginny Weasley appearance to most everyone else at Hogwarts. The insiders know better."

Estella smiled in understanding and nodded again. "Sorry," she said. "I was annoyed because I'm always running into you the instant I set foot in the Common Room."

Laughing, Lauren shrugged. "Sorry," replied the blonde. "I just try to keep everything else running smooth here in our House. Draco, Pritch, and I as well as a few others are the main ones who deal with trouble and get news out here."

"Yup," said Lauren's brown-haired dorm mate. "By the way, Lestrange said for you to meet him in his room next time you came down to the dungeons."

"Oh? Is he in his room right now?" Estella asked, heading for the door.

"Yes," replied the brown-haired girl.

Estella walked out the door without saying another word to them. Dashing up the stairs of the boys' dorm, Ginny felt awkward because Draco and others were watching her from the Common Room, whispering and laughing with each other. Coming to the door of the room, Ginny pushed it open quietly and entered the room.

Meris Lestrange was lying on his bed, curtains wide open. He had his bare feet up on the wall and was pretending to walk up the wall. Ginny stared for a moment, then crept closer to the boy until she pounced on him, landing on the bed and putting her hands over his eyes.

With a surprised yelp, Meris flipped over, landing on Estella's back and forcing her face into the sheets, putting his wand to her neck. Hearing her muffled sentence, Meris rolled off of her. "Parkington, what in Salazar's name—I could have cursed you!"

Estella rolled over and grinned at Meris weakly. "Sorry. I didn't know you'd do that. I was told that you wanted to see me in here?"

"Yes," sighed Meris, "but I didn't expect to meet you that way." Estella laughed and he grinned. "You asked me to tell you the story of the three Lestranges and Neville's parents, and I think I can tell you now."

She said nothing, but sat up and nodded, waiting for the boy to begin. Meris sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Mum married Dad, Rabastan Lestrange, on January 19, 1981, in secret," Meris began. "He did not want his brother and his sister-in-law to know about his wife, or they would have pressured her to become a Death Eater. Dad didn't want anyone to know, really, and no one did. Shortly after the fall of the Dark Lord, Aunt Bellatrix got the bright idea to go off and see if the Longbottoms (Aurors, mind you) knew where her master had gone off to. Unfortunately, she dragged her husband and my father with her."

Ginny did not comment, noting Meris' sarcasm when it came to his Aunt Bellatrix. "She gathered some of their remaining Death Eater friends and went to the Longbottoms' house," Meris continued. "It took twelve Death Eaters to break the specialized Aurors' wards on the house; Estella, your parents were two of the twelve. When the wards came down, both Aurors came out of the house and began to throw curses. The Death Eaters forced the two Aurors back into their house and bound them, keeping them on the floor before them. Only Dad, his brother, Bellatrix, and their Death Eater-in-training, Barty Crouch, Jr. came into the house: the rest of the team left, and no one knows who they were, except Mum and random others connected with the Lestranges."

"No one knows about my parents' being there?" Ginny asked, tilting her head.

"Not really," Meris replied. "Don't tell anyone. Anyway, Bellatrix headed up the torture session, demanding to know where the Dark Lord was. I think she should have pleaded temporary insanity at her trial—she might have gotten released. I have no idea why she thought they knew where he was. They only knew as much as the Death Eaters did. But for some reason, even though they knew nothing, Bellatrix and the brothers tortured the two Aurors enough to cause them to lose their sanity. Barty only observed what had happened, no matter what his screwy father says. Anyway, the Lestranges left when they were satisfied that the Longbottoms were done in. Mum said that Dad told her they didn't even look human when he left their house. I've never seen a _Crucio_ session that bad."

Ginny nodded in understanding, shuddering in horror. "Have you been Cruciated much, Stel?" he asked her.

"A couple times by the Dark Lord my first year and during Seach and Curse by Rishka," she replied. "Never anything major, although the Dark Lord's hurt far worse."

Meris laughed for a few minutes, then continued with his story once he regained his breath. "A few days after Dad told Mum about what he and his brother's family had done, the Aurors came for him, just as he said they would. The Aurors took Dad away without a fight, but the other two fought like wild beasts and would barely be subdued at all. They cursed several Aurors before they were brought under control. Mum had to raise me all alone because she wasn't about to make known to the Wizarding World that Rabastan had secretly married. She figured that it would come out soon enough, as it has, now that I'm at school. Anyway, Bellatrix and Rodolphus and my dad went to Azkaban for their 'crime,' and the Longbottoms went to St. Mungo's 'cause they were insane. Bellatrix had her famous rant about the Dark Lord returning and basically incarcerated all the Lestranges by her own words, and then the dementors marched them off to their cells."

"Wow," Ginny said, tilting her head and looking at Meris. "I'm sorry about your Dad."

Meris shrugged. "I was barely two months old when he was arrested, and I have no memory of him whatsoever."

"Maybe one day you will," Ginny replied earnestly.

"He's in prison for life?" Meris spat. "I don't see him getting out any time soon."

"And if the Dark Lord returns for his faithful ones?" Ginny asked very quietly.

Meris stared at her. "You know not of what you speak," he whispered gravely.

"Perhaps I don't," Estella sighed. "I never knew either of my real parents, and I wish I could know them. I was only wishing that you could know your dad 'cause I wish I could know mine."

"You're such a decent girl, Parkington," drawled Meris, throwing himself backward down onto the bed and looking at Estella upside-down. "My mother said to tell you to ask the twins' mother about the beginnings of the story I just told you if you are very curious about your parents' part in the story."

Estella nodded. "Thanks!" she told him, standing up and smoothing out her robe. "I appreciate your telling it to me, although I'd imagine there's much more detail to the story than that."

Meris sighed. "I don't know how much really matters, and what people know, and what I'm entitled to know as a Lestrange," he replied. "So, I'm kind of trying not to tell more than I should and yet let you know a little more than most people do. Go to Anthony and Naridia Charleston: they will have more answers for you—and Mum said they know you better."

Grinning, Estella agreed. "Since I was a toddler, they've known me," she said. "See you later!" and she left the room, heading down the hall. A door opened and another boy came out of a dorm room.

"Oh, hullo, Estella," he said, nodding at her. "What are you doing up here?"

"I was talking to Meris," Ginny replied, stopping and grinning at Theo. "Just discussing our parents and different things."

Theodore grinned. "Did he tell you it's your fault his dad's in Azkaban?" the boy asked her.

She stared at him. "No. You're just talking to hear your own voice," she told him and turned her back on him, walking away.

* * *

Two hooded figures wearing all black stepped out of the green flames of the Floo Network into a dimly lit room. Their wands ready, the two regarded the ones that were meeting them. Twin girls stood in front of their parents, watching passively but with awareness. A younger couple stood a little way away, the man keeping his hand on his daughter's shoulder.

The seven people already gathered held out their wands as identification, and three of the adults rolled up their sleeves to display their faded Dark Marks. One of the newcomers shook her hood down, her eyes sparkling with laughter. "Did you hear of the merry chase we had a week ago?" she asked as the father of the one girl came up and greeted her with a kiss on each cheek.

"Sister," he said softly. "We had not heard. Was it close?"

"Way too close," said the other newcomer, raising his hand and pulling his hood down. "Meretta let them get close and then she blew up a stack of crates and things in their faces. She laughed the entire time we were cross-apparating to lose them. She enjoys making our pursuers even more angry at us."

Meretta frowned. "I thought you liked a good chase," she pouted up at him.

"I do: but I like _doing_ the chasing," he replied. "I don't like being chased."

"Then you shouldn't have married me, Reginald Parkington," Meretta replied, teasing but sounding serious.

"You sound like Bellatrix," he told her, and someone snickered.

"Been to Azkaban recently?" asked one of the twins, laughing.

Meretta turned and looked at the Charleston girls. "Samantha," she knew immediately. "Reginald always brags that I snared him the way Bellatrix snared Rodolphus: with an unchanging wildness and a singular brand of unpredictability."

Having embraced the rest of her brother's family, Meretta went over to the girls. "I haven't seen you in a while," she said, hugging both of them at the same time. "How's school going?"

"It's going well," replied Brianna, squeezing her cousin tightly. "Ginny's in our Charms class, and we've been sitting together because the other girls hate her. She's too different from them to fit in."

Meretta pulled back sharply and looked each of the twins in the eyes. "So how is she dealing with it?" demanded the woman.

"A few weeks back, one of her dorm mates did something stupid and Estella saved her life," Samantha spoke up. "She told us that since she's a Parselmouth, if she equalized the amount of venom the Gryffindor had taken with the same amount of her own blood, the girl would only get very sick. And apparently, that's what Estella did. Anyway, now this stupid Gryff has sworn to kill her."

Reginald laughed. "Venom? Undoubtedly Estella has realized her more... _interesting_ powers."

"Thanks to you," Meretta teased, playfully smacking her husband across the chest.

"Heark doesn't have the nerve to even attempt killing someone," Brianna steered the conversation back, "but I'm assuming that she'll try to curse up Ginny pretty bad. Ginny isn't concerned about it, however, and taunts Heark every chance she gets."

"You should have heard what Ginny said to Heark the other day," Samantha said, a twinkle in her eyes. "I heard it from the Hufflepuffs and confirmed it from Estella herself. So, the big issue was, Heark had drunk out of an unlabeled vial of basilisk venom, and nearly killed herself, but Estella saved her life."

Reginald's mouth fell open, and Samantha continued, "They had a falling out before Potions, and Heark was accusing Ginny of attempted murder. Ginny told her, 'I did not. If I had tried, I would not have failed.' It was so awesome!"

Brianna's face turned a deeper shade of pink, and Reginald looked over at the other two men. "You did not call us here to discuss the arguments of school children," he said calmly, sibilantly. "Why did you call us here?"

"Always to the point," pouted Meretta.

"Perhaps you'll be grateful," Naridia Charleston pointed out before Reginald could retort.

Meretta's brother stepped forward. "You two have wanted to meet your daughter face to face," he told Reginald and Meretta. "We are beginning plans to make that possible. Brianna and Samantha have explained to us all that Estella knows about her real family, and we believe that she is ready to handle whatever she might find when she meets you two. Reyallia and I sent Pansy with Estella during a Search and Curse game, and Estella appears to be very talented in dueling."

Pansy stepped forward. "We defeated our assigned victims, but one of the older students singled her out and did _Crucio_ on her. Estella stood up in the middle of the Forest and did a Dark curse on her—in Parseltongue. Draco and Lauren hadn't even heard of the curse before."

"What was it?" Meretta asked at the same time Reginald asked, "How bad was the _Crucio_?"

"She said that the Curse was like an annoying swarm of bees that could be swatted away if she focused on the fact that it would stop," Brianna replied. "She said that, compared to the Dark Lord's Curses, Rishka's was a holiday."

Brianna began to answer Meretta's question, but the witch interrupted. "Dark Lord?" screeched the woman. "Since when did _she_ meet the Dark Lord?"

"Before her first year," Naridia replied. "She obtained the journal that the Dark Lord had entrusted to Lucius."

"Never did trust him," Meretta muttered.

"Did too!" retorted her brother, and Meretta stuck out her tongue at him, then burst into giggles.

Naridia frowned at them and went on. "Apparently, the Dark Lord had contained part of himself in the journal somehow, and was able to possess Estella somewhat, gaining power until he had a corporeal form that he could take when he came out of the journal." She noticed her twins looking at each other uneasily and motioned them to stop. "He Cursed her several times when she refused to obey him, hence her statement about the _Crucios_."

"Sounds like old times," sighed Meretta, and Reginald shook his head at her. "So what about the Dark curse?"

Brianna took a deep breath and began, "Supposedly it causes the victim to feel like he's been through several rounds of _Crucio_ without the caster actually having to do them." Meretta grinned in remembrance, and Samantha added, "The incantation, according to one of the other two Parselmouths, was _Afflictio_."

"I know that one," said Meretta happily. "The Dark Lord taught it to me." Her eyes turned dreamy for a minute, and then she asked, "How on earth did my daughter learn _that_ curse if the Slytherins didn't even know it?"

"Because the Dark Lord performed it on her," Samantha replied. "Estella told us out in the middle of the Forest: she said that he put it on her, gave her a task to do, and a time limit to do it in, and sent her off without removing the curse."

"Did she get it done?" Reginald asked.

Brianna shrugged. "She's still alive!"

Meretta snickered. "I want to see my daughter. When can we see her?"

Larosil looked over at the Charlestons and replied, "We want to do it on a weekend so that we can remove her from Hogwarts without anyone worrying what happened to her. Also, she most likely will not come willingly, and so we are going to have the twins, who are around her the most, stun her and take her to their parents, who will bring her to the meeting place. We will be meeting somewhere in Knockturn Alley. It might be next month, though, before it'll work out."

Reginald slipped his arm around Meretta and nodded, hugging her to his side. "Thank you," she told her brother, turning to her husband. "Let's go," she said, and they turned, leaving together.

"I almost forgot what she acted like," Samantha said a minute later. "She's weird!"

"No weirder than you are," replied Pansy coolly. "And, may I remind you, she's not a spastic brat who spontaneously curses whoever is in front of her!"

Samantha reached for her wand, but Brianna grabbed her sister by the arm and glared at Pansy. "That's not her fault and you know that, Pansy," Brianna snapped. "Stop taunting her about it."

Pansy shrugged and left with her parents, but Samantha turned to her mother and buried her face in her mother's robe. "Mum," whispered Samantha, "why won't she leave me alone?"

"She's jealous," their father said softly, gathering his family around him to apparate them home. "You've done things she hasn't, and so she's jealous. Don't mind her: she'll eventually find something else to do besides taunt you."

"It hurts," Samantha said, and her mother hugged her close.

"Samantha, you know why we didn't modify your memory," Naridia told her daughter, rubbing her back gently. "We wanted you to remain whole!"

Samantha nodded, then took her mother's hand for apparition. Once in their living room, Naridia said, "Girls, you only have an hour or so before we have to take you back to school." Samantha kept hold of her mother's hand and stayed with her the entire hour.


	18. Substitute and Quidditch

In their next DADA class, Ginny walked in and stared in surprise. Professor Snape was standing near the front of the room, glaring at the Gryffindors as they walked in. An extra surprise was that the second year Slytherins were joining them for class: all of them were already seated on the right side of the room.

Marlene nearly howled when she saw Snape and all the Slytherins, but immediately fell in line and sat down very quietly. Ginny wondered what Snape had done to change Heark's attitude toward him. Professor Snape sat down behind the desk and commanded them to open their books to a certain page.

"That's not where we are," piped up Ben, and his two friends hid behind their books.

"Do as I say or face the consequences," snarled Snape.

Stanley kept his head down, hurriedly flipping through his own book to find the correct page. Ginny bit her lip and looked at the title of the chapter: Werewolves. _Tom_ , she groaned, _I do_ _not_ _want to talk about these things again! Can't I just go to sleep?_

 _In Severus' class?_ Tom said in mock surprise. _Is that possible? Do you want detention, Ginny? I'm sure another professor will be glad to give it to you._

 _I mean, that I sleep and you stay awake,_ Ginny replied. _You know, like we did during the summer when Mum was angry about Icythan._

Tom frowned. _He'll know the difference if I speak to him,_ he warned Ginny.

Ginny frowned behind her book. _I thought you're better at disguising yourself than that._

 _Curse you, Ginny Weasley,_ Tom sighed in annoyance. _All right. Let me take you then._

Ginny easily let Tom have control and sighed, mentally going to sleep on her own shoulder and laughing inside herself as she did so. Tom's magic crackled around her, and several Slytherins, including Snape with a glare, looked over at her. Tom swore in his mind and Ginny cringed. _Sorry,_ he thought to her.

 _Why did they look at you?_ she asked.

 _Most Gryffs don't have magic crackling around them,_ Tom replied, mentally kicking himself for already making a mistake. _It's a Slytherin thing:_ _not_ _something that I should have done in front of all of these students_ _and_ _Snape. We'll talk about this later: let me concentrate now._

Ginny agreed, and soon, Tom felt her mind relax and fall asleep. Snape went on through class, taking points from Gryffindor and almost unwaveringly giving them directly to the Slytherins. Tom found it laughable that he was sitting there, listening to someone younger than him teach the class, but wisely kept from laughing and hid his thoughts well.

As Ginny slept, she suddenly felt a shock of pure horror from Tom and jerked into awareness. Tom still had her in class. _What's going on?_ she asked him. _What happened?_

 _I just found out Lupin's secret,_ Tom said, his throat dry. _Ginny Love, he's a werewolf._

 _A what?!_ she shrieked in horror, and Tom put a smirk on her face.

 _Werewolf_ , he repeated to her very slowly. _I just now understood the signs and realized why he isn't in class today. Tonight's the full moon and he must be preparing for transformation._

Ginny's mind shuddered. _Tom, that's horrid. I don't want to hear it._

Tom sighed. _I'm sure you don't. Truth be known, Ginny Love, a werewolf teaches your DADA class. Do you want to pay attention now? Your class is almost over._

Ginny agreed, and Tom let her come back in control of herself. Ginny found it very strange when she regained control of her body that Tom sat further forward in his seat than she did.

 _It also annoys me that you're so short I have to sit that far forward,_ Tom told her with a smirk.

 _Tom!_ protested Ginny, _I can't help it! And you sit up sooo straight that I'm going to really hurt tomorrow!_

 _I'm just teasing,_ Tom replied. _I like sitting forward because it helps to keep me awake, and I sit up because slouching makes me feel like a slob._

Ginny frowned and kept listening to Snape. Brianna and Samantha glanced over at her a couple times, but Ginny didn't motion to them. Tom told her, _They had wanted to pass a note to you, but I told them not to. There was no way I'd draw attention to myself when you weren't yourself._

She agreed and glanced over at Brianna, but the twins weren't looking at her. _Whatever,_ Ginny thought to herself, and waited til class was over.

The Gryffindors fled from the classroom, almost all of them having lost points for their house. Brianna and Samantha flanked Ginny on the way out, and Ginny could feel Snape watching her. _What did I do?_ she groaned to herself, but said nothing. _Oh, goodness, I wonder if he knows that Tom—that I realized the truth about Professor Lupin...I guess I'll find out._

* * *

The weather became colder and Quidditch season hit with a vengeance. The Gryffindor Quidditch team was practicing more than normal, and Ginny was hearing all about it from Fred and George.

"Wood's a slave driver," Fred told Ginny at lunch one day. "Telling us to protect Harry, indeed. What did he think we were doing? Stargazing?"

"Nah," Ginny replied. "Staring at Angelina." She giggled wickedly when all three of them blushed. "Both of you? Now, boys, only one of you can have her..."

"Ginny. Hush." Fred's ears were red, and Ginny hid a smile behind her hand.

George shrugged. "He can have her," he said.

Ginny looked over at Angelina and said, "Hear that? George just dumped you. Who's caught your eye now, George?"

George's ears turned red and he put his arm around Ginny's neck. "Shut up, Ginevra," he hissed in her ear.

She grinned and said, "Okay, okay. Let me go now."

He released her with a final glare and continued eating his lunch. Fred glanced at his twin in interest, making George glare at him and Ginny. She shrugged at George with a tiny grin. "Sorry," she said and rose to leave the Great Hall.

* * *

Ginny watched a couple of Quidditch practices because Fred and George had asked her to, but after a few of them, the excitement wore off and Ginny became bored sitting in the stands. She began to tap out rhythms of her favourite songs on the Quidditch stands, much to Hermione and Ron's disapproval.

Suddenly, Brianna and Samantha appeared out of nowhere and sat down next to Ginny. "Hullo," they greeted her. "How's the practice going?"

"Quidditch: boring; singing: good," Ginny replied, continuing to tap.

Samantha grinned and began to tap on different parts of the stands to harmonize with her cousin. Brianna rolled her eyes. "You two are crazy."

"'nuff said," Ron told them rudely.

"Ron, shut up," Ginny said.

"Ginny, shut up," Ron whined right back.

Brianna smoothed back her hair and sighed dramatically, "Sooo childish."

Samantha copied her twin. "Definitely." She then took Ginny by the arm and walked out of sight with her and Brianna. "Hey, ya know what? We could pretend to be triplets! Wouldn't that be cool?"

"Maybe," Brianna replied. "Okay, we can try it."

"But we all have to alter our appearances so that we don't look too much like ourselves either," Ginny replied firmly.

Samantha grinned, and Ginny turned her hair black after checking to make sure no one was looking. They made several other changes to their appearance before returning to the bleachers to sit further away from Ron and Hermione this time.

"We're cool," Brianna said with conviction, making the other two girls laugh. "Just however we act, we can't act like we belong more together than Ginny does with us."

"And what happens if Granger and Weasley come over here?" asked Samantha.

"Ignore them," Ginny said, as Wood came down to the ground and landed his broom. "Why in Merlin's name is he coming over here?"

Brianna elbowed Ginny. "He's calling you. Go see what he wants."

Ginny's eyes grew wide. "No!"

"Yes," Samantha said, pushing Ginny off the seat so that she had to stand to keep her balance.

Ginny made her way down to the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain and asked, "What's going on?"

"Do you think that you and those other two girls can come down and play like you're opposing chasers?" Wood asked. "Just for a few minutes, at least. The girls need more practise..." he motioned to Angelina, Katie, and Alicia.

"Opposing?" Ginny asked, eyebrow raised. "I guess." She turned and motioned the twins to come down, which they did. Explaining the situation to them, Ginny saw their eyes light up.

"Bring on the G—irls," Samantha said, barely catching herself in time. She, Brianna, and Ginny all hurried to get brooms. Brianna and Samantha grabbed their special brooms, then grinned and handed another one to Ginny. "Here," Samantha said breathlessly. "It's Pansy's."

Ginny giggled and took hold of the broom, all three girls hurrying out and mounting up to take off. When they up close to Wood, he gathered the six chasers around him and gave them their instructions. "Act weird," he told Ginny and the twins. "Do the strangest things you can think of. I would tell you to act Slytherin, but I know they're not the only team we'll be playing and I don't know if you can." Turning to the other three, he said, "You know what I want from you."

"Your money or your life!" called Samantha gaily, twirling her broom in a circle and making Katie frown at her.

"The Quaffle?" Wood said, and Alicia threw it at him. "One of the twins is going to be the other Keeper. I want fast action, girls."

"If we're too fast, you won't get to the goalposts in time," Brianna teased him, and Wood scowled at her dangerously.

Flying beneath them, Wood asked, "Ready?" and at their agreement, he threw the Quaffle up between them.

Angelina flew in and snagged the Quaffle a split second before Samantha arrived, smashing into the older girl and practically clawing the Quaffle from her hand. The Gryffindor player flew in a zigzag before she was able to right herself and fly on. Katie frowned at the girl again.

Flying upfield, the younger girls were quickly over taken by the older ones who were used to field play. "Don't let them flank you!" Ginny said quickly when she was by one of the twins for an instant. Catching a pass from Brianna, Ginny dodged Alicia and passed back to one of the twins.

The play happened so quickly that Wood lost track of who had the Quaffle and the point got past him. His face showed surprise, and Katie and Angelina giggled at him without apology. "First years?" Angelina asked. "No? Okay, second years then. Second years, Oliver?"

"Shut up," growled Wood, tossing them the Quaffle.

The three chasers flew upfield together, tossing the Quaffle back and forth. Ginny was proud of their teamwork: she had watched it last year too. Brianna motioned to Ginny to fly next to her as they whizzed across the field. "Converge on Angelina from above when she has the Quaffle," Brianna hissed to her. "We'll steal it."

Ginny nodded and the two flew above and slightly behind the Gryffindors as Samantha darted among the three of them, making it hard for them to pass the Quaffle around. Suddenly, Brianna gave the signal and the two converged on Angelina, Ginny flying right in front of her face and snatching the Quaffle from her fingertips. With a yell of triumph, Brianna, Samantha, and Ginny immediately twirled their brooms and flew off in the opposite direction.

"Second years, Angelina?" Wood hollered, absolutely beside himself. "My goodness, you three—" He was so surprised that their shot went right past his hand into the goal.

After several more plays, Wood called an end to the session, everyone having left the stands already. The players landed together and began to walk off the field together. "I don't know what was wrong with you," he told the three Gryffindor chasers, "but these three smoked you—"

"—and you," retorted Angelina. "Now put _that_ in your pipe and smoke _it_!"

Katie frowned. "Who are you girls?" she asked.

Wood snorted as they arrived at the dressing rooms. "They're crazy, that's what. I've never seen that amount of teamwork in second years—or that amount of skill."

"Born and bred—" began Samantha.

"—in a briar patch," Katie ended. "You three aren't Gryffindors, are you?"

Wood looked like he'd been electrocuted. "What?" he gasped, and Fred and George looked closely at the girls, then glanced at each other.

Brianna and Samantha began laughing, and Ginny said, "They're Slytherins, and I'm a Gryffindor. We've played together once before, but we've known each other forever."

"Oh, goodness," Angelina groaned. "We got smoked by a Slytherin/Gryffindor combination of second years. You know, girls, I think it's high time we graduated."

"Dream on," Fred told her. "You've got about three years left."

"Thanks for the encouragement," she retorted.

Fred grinned. "Oh, you're welcome. By the way, this is Brianna and Samantha Charleston," he said with a grin. "They stayed at our house a little during the summer: they're Ginny's friends."

The others turned to Ginny. "Who are you?"

"I am Estella Parkington," she replied, lifting her chin. "But most people just know me as Ginny Weasley." She giggled and changed her appearance back to normal. "I've been playing around."

"I resign," Angelina told Wood. "Hire her."

"I wouldn't play," Ginny replied firmly. "Because I only play like this with Brianna and Samantha and no other. And you couldn't hire me or let Angelina resign because Fred would be pissed off at you."

Brianna and Samantha flanked Ginny. "We leave now," they said, dragging their cousin off to take showers before they headed back up to the castle. "Ginny, why'd you tell them?"

Ginny sighed. "Fred and George were going to tell them anyway, and it was better for me to tell them," she explained. "At least Harry wasn't there. Let's just shower and get up the castle."

The three girls hurried to get ready and all bounded out of the showers at the same time, twisting their wet hair up on top of their heads. "Drying Charm?" Brianna asked. "Nope? Then Warming Charm." Brianna performed a Warming Charm on her hair and sighed in relief. "Much better."

"Oh goodness," sighed Samantha. "You think you need to be comfortable. Just come on!"

Ginny and the twins hurried up from the Quidditch stadium and headed down to Slytherin together. Angelina caught Ginny's sleeve before she headed off. "You're invited to stay in our dorm room tonight," she told the younger girl.

Ginny smiled. "Thanks," she replied, then hurried off after the twins.

* * *

Ginny did stay overnight in the chasers' dorm, as most of the girls called it, with Katie, Alicia, and Angelina. They hounded her with questions about how long she had flown, and how long had she flown with (and known) the Slytherin twins. Ginny answered their questions to the best of her ability without lying or giving away her or the twins' secrets.

Before long, Ginny began to feel very tired, and yawned, "I'm tired from all the flying today. I really haven't flown that fast for that long before. It was fun. Tell Wood that if he needs us, I'm all for it."

Katie groaned. "If I ever recover from flying that way," she said, "then maybe I'll tell him."

"If you recover?" laughed Angelina. "I thought I was going to fall off of my broom _twice_ within the first five minutes they were put against us. I've never hung on to my broom that tightly before. It probably thought I was trying to strangle it."

The other girls giggled into their pillows, all of them having shoved the beds up against the wall and decided to sleep on the floor. "You'll be fine," Alicia sighed, shaking her head at them. "They're so dramatic!"

"You know nothing about dramatic," Ginny replied. "Have you met Marlene Heark?"

"Yup," Angelina stated flatly. "I'm a prefect, and I've had to deal with her on several occasions. Enough said."

Ginny raised an eyebrow, but her yawn ruined the effect, and so she snuggled under her blankets and fell asleep.

* * *

About a week before the first match, Fred, George, and Harry burst into the Common Room, all grumping about Draco Malfoy. Ron looked up from studying with Hermione, glad for the interruption. "What's Malfoy done now?" Ron asked.

The three walked over, Harry sitting down between his friends. Fred and George dragged two chairs over and plopped themselves down. "He's pretending to still be injured so that Slytherin doesn't have to play next week," groaned Harry. "Wood's on a war path. He was ready to wring Malfoy's neck. Anyway, we'll be playing Hufflepuff now."

"Won't that be easier?" Hermione asked, and Ron snorted.

"No, Hermione," he scolded, "Hufflepuff has a completely different flying style from Slytherin."

Hermione looked slightly embarrassed, and Fred sighed, "Wood tried to kill us in practice today. He's desparate."

George scowled. "He's worse this year, and now look what Malfoy and the Slytherins have done to him!"

Ginny, listening to their conversation, knew what the boys were talking about. Down in Slytherin, she'd heard all about the hippogriffs in the Magical Creatures class. Ginny had nearly gotten herself cursed when she suggested that it was Draco's own fault that he'd been attacked. She had also heard that the hippogriff, Buckbeak, had been marked for execution. She felt sorry for the poor creature, but she figured it was done for.

The boys continued discussing Quidditch, but Hermione got up and left, taking her books with her. Ginny jumped up and left the Common Room. She hadn't stayed in her dorm room since the four girls had told her not to sleep in their room anymore. Heading down to Slytherin, Ginny changed her appearance and immediately went up to Brianna and Samantha's dorm room.

Finding it to be warded, Estella knocked on the ward to let them know that she was there. Brianna dropped the ward and allowed Estella into the room. To Estella's surprise, Pansy was sitting on the edge of Brianna's bed, talking to Samantha in a low voice.

When the two girls looked and saw Estella, Pansy jumped to her feet and walked out of the room. "Um, what did I do?" asked Ginny awkwardly as a silent message passed between the Charleston twins. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"It's okay," Samantha said with a small smile. "It wasn't much anyway. So, are you going to the All Hallows Eve feast tonight?"

"Yes," Ginny replied, grinning. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."

Brianna grinned and caught Ginny's hands in hers. "Sit with us tonight," she said imploringly. "We Slytherins usually have a party after the feast, and you should sit with us so that you can go right to the party."

Ginny agreed and the twins glanced at each other in triumph.


	19. Abduction and Rejection

The entire Great Hall was darkened when the three girls entered it. Tapers were lit along the walls, and the ceiling of the Great Hall reflected the black and starry sky outside. Great pumpkins stood in several places around the Great Hall, fires burning inside them and casting eerie shadows on the entire hall.

Brianna and Samantha grinned happily and dragged Ginny over to sit across from Draco and Pansy. "Let's eat quickly so we can go back to the Common Room first before everyone else arrives to begin the games," Brianna suggested. "We can get the best seats and think of things to dare people to do."

Samantha smirked in excitement. "Of course," she said proudly. "Hey, Dumbledore, how's about starting this here feast now?"

The Slytherins around her snickered, and Brianna blushed. Ginny grinned and didn't say anything. After several minutes of waiting, the feast began, and Ginny and the twins quickly began to eat. Brianna looked over at Pansy, and the older girl smirked and nodded slightly. Ginny did not see this, talking to Samantha about something that had happened in Charms class previously.

When the twins were finished eating, they motioned to Ginny and hurried out of the Great Hall. Brianna paused at the shortcut and opened it, leading the way into the passageway. "Why are we going this way?" Ginny asked. "We have time."

"It'll save time," Samantha replied, catching up with her sister. "Let's go."

It was very quiet as the three walked along together, and Samantha hummed to herself, annoying Brianna, who didn't say anything about it. Ginny heard a sharp _thwack_! of a spell and turned to ask one of the twins if she'd heard it when suddenly a spell hit her and she knew no more.

Samantha groaned. "I hate doing this to her," she moaned as two figures came out of the shadows.

"Oh, shut up already," Pansy said. "You've been complaining since we came up with the idea."

"You didn't come up with it," Anthony Charleston told her sharply. "The adults did. And don't tease my daughters."

Pansy frowned and said nothing. The group of five hurried along to the Common Room, where Bole sat on one of the couches, a fire roaring in the fireplace near him. The boy appeared to ignore them as they took Estella's unconscious body into the fireplace and Floo-ed away from Hogwarts.

* * *

Estella Parkington woke in a completely dark place, making her fear for a second that all the lights in the world had been turned out. She heard someone shift, and called out, "Who's there?"

"Estella, it's Brianna and Samantha," replied a soft voice, and a hand grabbed Ginny's.

She yanked her hand away from her cousin. "Why did you bring me here?" she spat. "You set me up!"

Someone turned on a dim light and a man walked over to Estella, standing behind the twins. "You," Estella whispered, recognizing the twins' father. "I haven't seen you in a long time. What is happening?"

"I can't tell you that," he replied, "but there are other people coming that aren't here yet."

"Where is 'here'?" Ginny asked, eyes blazing.

"Somewhere in Knockturn Alley," Anthony replied. "It's warded: you can't get out."

Two girls and three adults stepped out from behind a stack of shadowy objects, and Estella glared at the older girl. "I knew you were here. You were the one who stunned me!"

Pansy nodded without a smirk, and the younger girl hurried over to Estella. "Hi," she said. "I'm glad to finally meet you. I'm Peony Parkinson, your other first cousin, but I'm nothing like Pansy."

Estella grinned bitterly. "And those must be your parents, then," she said, pointing out two of the three adults that had just appeared with Pansy and Peony.

"Yes," Peony replied. "Our family decided to gather around because we all wanted to see you."

"You could have just asked," Estella said sharply, standing up and looking around. Everyone was watching her. "Goodness," she spat, walking toward a corner. "You could have just asked and not brought me to a place like this!"

Brianna reached out to grab her sleeve and Estella jumped out of her reach. "Honestly, Estella," Samantha said, "just stay here with us and you'll know the reasons here in a minute!"

Estella glared at her, and snapped, "I don't want to stay with you: you _knew_ and didn't say _anything_! Both of you leave me alone. Don't even talk to me." She stormed away and went to the corner, wanting to curse someone.

Samantha turned and hid her face in her twin's shoulder. Brianna put her arm around Samantha and sighed, looking up at her father, who shook his head slightly and didn't say a word. Brianna watched her cousin curl up in the corner and wrap her arms around herself, trying to protect and prepare herself for whatever else happened to her.

Suddenly, two apparitions appeared near the door of the room, and Larosil looked over at them quickly. The woman stumbled as she appeared, but the man caught her. "Second time?" he asked her, and she told him in no uncertain terms to keep his mouth shut.

"Where is she?" demanded Meretta of her brother and the rest of the adults.

Anthony wordlessly pointed to the corner where Estella was curled up, her eyes shut and her arms wrapped tightly around herself. "We stunned her and brought her in, and she wasn't happy about it," he said.

"I wouldn't be either," Meretta told him, getting in his face and then stepping away. "But I want to meet her. Is she coming out?"

"I'm never coming out," Estella spat, her voice heard all over the room. "I don't _want_ to meet you."

Meretta's eyes narrowed in anger and she glared around at the adults, not pleased with her daughter's reaction. Shaking off her husband's grip, the Dark witch began to stride toward the corner, her shoes clicking on the stone and dirt floor. "Is that _any_ way to speak to the woman who gave you life?" Meretta demanded coldly. She stopped before the crates that made up the corner, putting her arms up on the frame and glaring down at the girl.

Ginny looked up in shock after processing the woman's words. The tall, dark woman was staring at her, eyes glittering furiously. "Mum?" she whispered, then said in horror, "Mother!" She stood up and came to her mother, who wrapped her arms around the girl. "I'm sorry," Ginny choked, unable to say another word. _My words,_ she thought to herself. _I need to be more careful what I say!_

"Yes, you do," Meretta said coldly, shifting as Reginald came over and mumured her name as a warning to be kind.

"Estella?" he asked softly when he heard the girl breathe a sob. "I'm here too, child." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and he realized that she was afraid. "We're not angry," he told her, holding out his arms to her. "Come here, here to your father."

She timidly stepped closer to him and felt her father's strong embrace. "Daddy," she sobbed, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry that—that I'm not—"

Reginald squeezed the slender girl gently. "Don't apologize," he told her. "It's not your fault: it's the way you were raised after we left. We didn't know how bad it would be, and your mother didn't use her Occlumency Shields, forgetting that you had inherited her...gifts."

Laughing through her tears, Ginny looked up at her father and smiled. "And I'm a Parselmouth, just like you."

"Wonderful," he breathed, hugging her again. "You're truly a Parkington, then."

Ginny looked back at her mother, noting the woman's face. It was pale, making her red lips and black hair stand out. When Meretta noticed Ginny watching her, her eyes turned deep, deep black. "That's right," Ginny whispered. "Your eyes change colours depending on your mood. I forgot."

"Yours can too: I just witnessed it," Meretta replied. "They turned from bright green to dull grey when you saw me."

Reginald glanced from his wife to his daughter and said, "Now girls, let's not argue about what different eye colours mean."

"I haven't experimented with it because I didn't know," Ginny sighed.

Meretta smiled. "Then you can't disguise your reactions," she replied with a smirk. "I was right."

Ginny frowned. "I wouldn't react in a lot of the ways I had if I had known what was going on," she began, but Reginald pressed a finger over her lips and silenced her.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered, looking at Meretta.

She nodded. "They're here. Well, let them try to come find us."

Reginald released Estella after planting a kiss on her forehead. "Love you," he told her. "Remain strong."

Meretta smiled at her. "Don't let the blood-traitors run your life," she warned, taking her husband's hand. Someone shouted for the Parkingtons to come outside, and Meretta whispered, "I'll see you at the Dark Lord's side, Estella." And they disapparated.

Samantha whimpered in fear and Brianna was watching Ginny carefully. Anthony went straight to Samantha and wrapped both of his arms around her, disapparating. His wife followed with the other twin, and the Parkinsons all disapparated.

Ginny realized that she was there alone, and decided that she didn't stand a chance against whoever was out there. _They would go off and leave me,_ Ginny thought to herself in annoyance as the door splintered and several wizards tumbled through the door, stepping out to search the building.

One turned toward Ginny and reacted in shock. "Look: there's the woman!" he said.

Before Ginny could say a word, three of them were around her, and suddenly there were chains on her. Her mind shrieking in disbelief, Ginny was welcomely distracted. One of the people had flipped back his hood—and it was a she!

The most interesting thing about her at first sight was that she had bubblegum pink hair! Ginny stared in surprise, and the girl—she couldn't have been too old—frowned. "Wait, this can't be Meretta," said the pink-haired girl. "She's too young."

One of the men shrugged and said, "She can change her appearance." He nudged Ginny hard. "Can't you?"

"I can also alter yours," she spat at him, kicking him in the shin before the other two pulled her away from him.

The girl was still frowning, but said nothing. "Hey, John," said one John to the other. "Ya wanna see her Dark Mark? I heard you've never seen one before."

"If you can get close enough to see it without having her alter your appearance, Dawlish," teased the other John. "Then maybe I'll come see it."

Dawlish frowned and reached for Ginny's sleeve. She gritted her teeth, feeling her ears begin to turn red as he pushed up her left sleeve. "What the—" he looked at her. "You can't remove a Dark Mark, can you?"

"Nope," said the other John.

"How do you know?" Ginny taunted them. "Have _you_ ever taken the Dark Mark?"

The girl's hair flickered black and she snickered before she caught herself. "She's not Meretta," insisted the girl, coming forward and pulling Ginny's sleeve back down. "Who are you, girl?"

Ginny frowned, then looked directly into her eyes. "I'm Estella Parkington," she replied. "I'm Meretta's daughter. You must have picked up my magical signature by accident and thought I was my mother." _Thank you for telling me what to say, Tom,_ she said to him.

One of the other men frowned and said, "I could have sworn that they were both here. Then what are you doing here, child?"

"I was going to meet some of my friends," Ginny replied in annoyance.

"How old are you?" asked the girl. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"I'm twelve, but I'm free from school for the weekend," Ginny told her. "I was supposed to be picked up from here and taken to a friend's house, but I'm sure they won't come now thanks to you all."

The girl grinned. "Sorry. Aurors chase lots of people off, I think. I'm Nymphadora Tonks—and don't call me Nymphadora. I abhor that name," she said, taking the chains off of Ginny. "Do you need to be taken somewhere? So you can find your friends?"

"No thanks," Ginny said. "If I can find my way into Knockturn, I'm sure I can find my way out of it." She did a double take. "You're Aurors?"

Nymphadora nodded. "See? I told you she's not Meretta. Are you sure you don't need us—or me—to take you somewhere?" she asked.

"I'll be fine," Ginny said and turned around, walking to the door. It opened before her and she walked out, heading down the street. Following Tom's orders, Ginny put her hood up and looked up at the signs on the old, run-down buildings.

Hearing footsteps, Ginny nearly groaned. The Auror girl caught up with her and fell in step with her. "I can't let you go by yourself," sighed Nymphadora. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you—and I wouldn't let my twelve year old child run around Knockturn Alley."

Ginny looked sideways at her. "I'm a witch."

"Me too," Nymphadora replied wryly. "Funny thing, that. But I'd never come down here by myself."

"Put your hood up," Ginny told her. "You definitely don't don't want to be recognized here."

She shrugged and put her hood up. "I'm not worried. I've put up with Knockturn-raised hoodlums all my life," she said. "You know, when I was at school, I was a Hufflepuff. Are you a Slytherin?"

Ginny didn't say a word, but glared at her. Nymphadora nearly smiled. "I know who you are, Ginny Weasley," she said. "I don't think the other Aurors knew, but I did. You're a good pretender. Why are you really running around out here?"

"I was meeting my friends," said Ginny stubbornly. "There's an underaged girl that I'm friends with, and of course I don't see her at school."

"Who—"

The two suddenly ran into a tall, hooded man. He grabbed Estella's wrist and pulled her to his side. Glaring down at Nymphadora Tonks, he stood silent. "Who are you?" she asked him, looking at him through narrowed eyes and realizing that Ginny trusted the man.

"The father of a friend," Ginny interrupted him. "Thanks, Dora." She received a frown from the young Auror, and Ginny giggled. "Bye, DeeDee," she said.

Larosil disapparated with Estella, and left Nymphadora Tonks standing there alone. She frowned, thinking of Ginny Weasley leaving with a random dark-haired man. She sighed, then stuck her tongue out at the spot where the two had been and turned around, heading back to the others. She determined not to say anything about Ginny to anyone, but decided to check up on the girl later.


	20. Siriusly?

Larosil appeared with Estella in the sitting room of a very comfortable home. Peony, Pansy, and their mother sat in the room, waiting for their father and husband to come back.

Peony looked at Ginny, alarmed. "How did it go?" she asked. "I was worried when we left you, but the girls and Pansy said that you'd be all right. What happened?"

"I argued and they let me go," Estella sighed. "So when do I go back to school?"

"On Monday," said Reyallia softly. "We and the Charlestons made sure that you were able to stay the entire weekend. You're here for a few days."

Larosil turned to Estella and told her, "I am your mother's brother, which, of course, makes me your uncle. This is my wife Reyallia, your aunt, and these, of course, are your cousins. You know Pansy, but this one is Peony. And this is our home, and feel free to make yourself at home here."

"When in need," Peony said with her eyes twinkling, "ask a house elf. But you can stay with me if you want to. I'll take you on a tour of the house, or you can explore and I'll explain."

Estella laughed. "Okay," she said. "I'll come along. Lead the way, Peony."

Peony hopped up and walked out of the room, Estella beside her. "You can see all the different rooms," Peony said, pointing out the bathroom and guest rooms and another sitting room. "The Great Room has windows that look out into the garden. Would you like to see that?" Estella nodded, and her little cousin led her down another hall.

"What's that room?" asked Estella, pointing at a very importantly decorated doorway. A plaque on the door read "No children allowed."

"Oh, that's grandmother's room," Peony replied.

"Your grandmother lives with you?" Estella asked curiously.

The door burst open and the lady in the doorway said sharply, "She surely does!" She peered at Estella carefully. "So you're Estella," she said, stepping toward the girl and reaching out to lift the girl's chin. Estella jumped away from her, eyes wary. "Jumpy, just like your mother," said the woman with a proud smile.

Estella grinned. "Jumpy with a short temper fuse," she replied, her eyes laughing now. "I'm sure that's a lot like her."

Peony looked over at the woman with greying hair. "Estella met her parents today, and Aunt Meretta yelled at her," she said. "Pansy and the twins and their dad sort of kidnapped Estella and she didn't like it. She made Auntie mad, actually, but Auntie got over it. She just had to realize that her daughter didn't know why we had trussed her up and dragged her off."

The woman laughed. "I see," she told her granddaughters. "Your father told me that Estella might not want to meet anymore of her family after today." Turning to Ginny, the witch said, "I am Ramea Parkinson Black: your grandmother and your mother's mother."

"Pleased to meet you," Ginny said with a smile, holding out her hand for her grandmother to take.

To Ginny's surprise, she was grabbed in a hug. "None of that," scolded Ramea. "You've been lost to us for so long and you've finally returned! And you're of my own blood, my daughter's child. I'm so proud of you for the things you've come through, Estella."

Ginny blushed, then said, "Um, well, I've had help."

"Yes, I'm sure," Ramea said knowingly. "One day, when you have lots of time to spare, I want to hear all about your experience with Tom Riddle's journal and your first year."

Estella stared at her grandmother without speaking and Peony said, "Oh, grandmum, no!"

"Hush, Peony," Ramea scolded. "Remember, Estella."

"I will," she promised, and followed her cousin away. "Why did you tell her no? What did she want to know?"

Peony sighed. "Everyone knows that Tom Riddle is the Dark Lord," she began, "but Grandmother has it in her head that Tom Riddle and the Dark Lord are two different people."

Estella stared at the younger girl. "They are," she said sharply. "They are different! And Tom Riddle is not evil! Slytherin, but not evil! Tom's a pureblood; the Dark Lord's a half-blood—"

"Hush!" gasped Peony. "Do you know the danger of the words you speak? Oh, Estella, never say things like that—especially not in this house."

"How does she know?" demanded Ginny. "How does she know these secrets?"

Peony's face turned pale. "We will speak no more of this," she said. "Come, I will take you to the garden." Ginny frowned and followed her cousin.

Ramea watched them go and heard their words. She smiled to herself and whispered, "Tom, old friend, there might still be hope for you in her."

* * *

Pansy raced into the garden area where her sister and cousin were. "Estella, there's an emergency at school, and all the Gryffindors are sleeping in the Great Hall tonight!"

"Good thing I'm not there, or I'd probably be killed in my sleep," Estella said sarcastically, putting her hands under the waterfall and allowing the force of the water to push her hands down.

"No, I mean that you have to get ready to go back right now," Pansy insisted. "You'll be missed if they do a head count for the dorms. We may have got you out, but that doesn't mean you won't be missed. And a letter to the Burrow won't answer the where question!"

Peony frowned. "You just want her to leave."

Pansy glared at her sister. "Dad said. Do you want me to tell him that you're deliberately disobeying him again?" she hissed.

"No," mumbled Peony, remembering her punishment last time her sister had taken it upon herself to tattle, "and I wasn't. I was questioning your truthfulness."

"Dad says to come now," Pansy told Estella, turning to leave. "Hurry up, both of you."

The sound of a curse whizzing broke the air, and Pansy whirled in time to stop the curse and send one toward Peony. Ginny blocked it. "Leave her alone, Pansy!" Ginny snapped. "I'm coming already!"

Pansy smirked and said nothing as she led the way up to the house. Larosil looked troubled. "What's wrong?" Ginny asked him. "What happened at school?"

"Supposedly Sirius Black tried to knife his way into Gryffindor Tower and slashed up the portrait that guards the Common Room," Larosil sighed. "So you have to go back right now, because there is no guard for the Gryffindor Common Room."

"And I'll be missed, and they're staying in the Great Hall," Estella supplied. "And I'll die by my dorm mate's hand tonight."

"You will not," he scolded her. "Well, at least not in the Hall. Prefects are on patrol in the Hall to make sure there's not very much talking. Come." He reached out his hand and Estella took it after embracing her younger cousin.

"Thank you for the wonderful time," she told Peony, who she had just figured out was about nine years old. "I wish I didn't have to cut it so short: it's been fun to run around with you."

Peony smiled. "Come see me again!"

Estella smiled and waved, and Larosil disapparated. When they appeared, Ginny looked around and frowned. "Where am I?" she asked.

"Place deep in the dungeons called the Deep," he replied. "It's one of the few places in which the dungeons reach out of the apparition ward that surrounds Hogwarts. I'm going to take you up until you recognize the corridors, and then you will be heading to the Great Hall."

Ginny nodded immediately, and they set off together, Ginny asking, "How did you hear this?"

"Sources from Hogwarts," he replied. "We have to have our insiders, don't you know?"

"Yes," she agreed, then fell silent until she remembered they were in a corridor near the Common Room. "I know this place," she told her uncle. "Thank you for bringing me back. I had a good time." She hugged him tightly, then hurried off without saying another word.

Ginny changed her hair colour before she hurried out of the dungeons, heading toward the Great Hall. Percy met her at the door. "Ginny!" he said, grabbing her arm. "Where have you been? I've been so worried about you!"

"I've been with some of my friends," Ginny sighed. "We were supposed to be gone for the weekend, but, well, that didn't work. Anyway, I'm here now. Am I supposed to sleep here?"

"Yes," Percy told her. "Try over by the chasers: it seems to be calmer over there. We had issues with some of the other girls earlier, but it should be quieter now. You know what happened, don't you?"

Ginny nodded. "Sirius is here," she said, a tiny grin breaking onto her face. "I just wonder if he's ever going to think about the day he knifed a defenseless portrait and call himself an idiot."

Percy snickered. "Ginny, you have the greatest sense of humour since Fred and George. Go get some sleep." He gave her a push toward the doors, and she hurried off, grinning.

Quickly stepping around and over people, Ginny made her way to the chasers. Two of them were asleep, but Katie was awake. "Hello," Ginny whispered. "Percy told me to come over here."

"Yup," Katie whispered back. "I don't blame you for not going over to those other girls. And then, of course, you wouldn't go over by Granger, or by Fred and George, or—"

"I wouldn't be here if I could have stayed away at all," Ginny interrupted. "I couldn't avoid coming here, even if I told them I was going to go stay up in Ravenclaw Tower. So I just decided to remain here." She yawned. "I'm so tired," she sighed, summoning a sleeping bag from the pile by the wall. "Good night."

"Good night," Katie replied, frowning at Ginny's Summoning Charm. "You just did a non-verbal Summoning Charm, Ginevra."

Ginny blinked, laying her head on her pillow. "I must be more tired than I thought." She closed her eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

Ginny was awaken by Percy gently touching her arm. "Ginny," he said softly, "you're allowed to go back to your dorm room now. The professors searched the castle for Sirius Black, but they didn't find him. We hope he left the castle."

"Thanks," Ginny yawned and stretched. "What time is it?"

"Six," Percy replied. "Are you going to go back to sleep?"

"Don't know," groaned Ginny. "Maybe. I'm not sure."

He nodded and Ginny stood up, stretching. "Thanks," she told him, and hurried up to her dorm room.

* * *

At the first Quidditch game of the season, Ginny sat beside Hermione so that she didn't have to sit by Ron. The first part of the match went rather well, with the chasers battling back and forth. Ginny grinned to herself, thinking of the times that she and the Charleston twins had practiced with the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The points were slow in coming on either side, both keepers very practiced.

With the crowd roaring for one of the Hufflepuff chasers, who had just scored, the Quidditch stadium sang with excitement. Suddenly, the snitch was sighted, the two seekers racing toward it, hands outstretched. The crowd was on its feet, madly cheering their seekers on. Ginny suddenly felt cold all over, and the sky seemed to darken.

A cry of "Oh no, Harry's fallen off his broom!" came from several people. Ginny stared as Harry began to fall and realized that there were dementors down on the field.

A grey and blue blur stood and ran down the bleachers, casting a spell to slow Harry's fall. It was Dumbledore, the Headmaster. He raised his wand, pointing it at the dementors. A smoky grey bird flew out of the wand and circled the Quidditch field, rounding up the dementors and herding them away.

Ginny had been effected by the dementors, and was sitting on the stands, barely recovered from her memory of the Dark Lord's _Crucios_. Suddenly, she looked up and saw Brianna standing back from her sister who was lying on the ground, screaming silently. Ginny went over to Brianna and asked her if there was anything they could do.

"I don't think so," Brianna said, her face pale. "She's never been this bad before. This is a really bad reaction for her: she never just screams; she always tries to curse someone, or do something. She never just lies there."

"Did you put a Silencing Charm on her?" Ginny asked softly.

Brianna nodded. "Her attack got worse, but at first she was yelling random things, and I think maybe it's good that everyone can't hear her screaming."

 _Ginny,_ Tom said firmly, _I know a spell that can help her. Would you let me help?_

 _Be my guest,_ Ginny replied wryly, looking down at the screaming girl.

Tom gently worked the tendrils of his mind into hers and painlessly took control of Ginny. He knelt beside the screaming girl, carefully not to get Ginny hit with a flailing arm or leg. Grabbing Samantha's left arm (which made her begin to fight him), Tom pointed his wand at her and whispered a spell under his breath.

The blue spell struck Samantha in the chest and she closed her eyes for a few seconds. Her eyes reopened in fright, and Samantha looked up at Ginny, realizing that her cousin had her by the arm. "Brianna and I are here," Ginny told her in a strangely man-sounding voice. "Dementors came to the Quidditch game, and you had a bad reaction."

"Tom," Samantha whispered, reaching her left hand over to Ginny's hand on her wrist. Ginny immediately released her and jerked her hand away, frowning.

"Don't call me that," said Ginny crossly, sounding like herself again. "I'm not him."

Samantha suddenly scowled at her. "You're not talking to us, remember?"

Ginny wondered what her cousin was talking about, then sighed and looked down. "I'm sorry," she told the twins. "I didn't realize what was going on, or I wouldn't have reacted that way. I guess I'm just too used to having the Weasleys lie to me or pretend to be something they're not all the time. Too used to family betrayal."

"Right," said Samantha sarcastically, glaring at her. "Come along, Ginny." Samantha stood and began to walk up to the castle.

Ginny and Brianna walked on either side of the girl as they hurried along together, Ginny changing her appearance. Samantha frowned at Estella and grabbed her wrist. "Does Tom Riddle speak through you sometimes?" she asked suddenly.

Biting her lip, Ginny nodded. "Yes," she finally replied. "He did that spell on you, because I didn't know it."

"I thought so," said Samantha with a smirk. "Will you stay in Slytherin tonight?"

"Probably," Ginny replied, "but I have some other things to do tonight."

"That's fine," Samantha replied knowingly. "You can go meet the voice in your head."

Ginny blushed, and Brianna raised an eyebrow at the two of them, but said nothing.

* * *

As Samantha had supposed, Ginny went to meet Tom in the Chamber that night. She ran to give him a big hug, and he squeezed her tightly. "Be careful with Samantha," he cautioned Ginny. "She's quite unpredictable."

Ginny nodded in reply and asked, "Tom, the dementors made Harry fall off his broom today. Why do the dementors cause all these things to happen to us and what was that spell you did on Samantha?"

Tom turned away from Ginny and looked up at the statue of Salazar Slytherin. "The dementors feed off of high, positive emotions, leaving their victims remembering only the worst things that ever happened to them," Tom began. "In Azkaban, they pick out the prisoners' memories specifically because they well know what the prisoners try most to hide from them. A dementor is a formidable foe, Ginny. I'd rather not meet one, ever."

"What was that spell you used?" she asked.

"A specialized warming spell catered to helping someone who's been around a dementor," Tom replied. "I can teach it to you. It's not that hard. But you also need to know that healing spell that Percy did to you."

Ginny frowned up at Tom. "The healing from _Crucio_?" she asked, and he nodded.

"I couldn't believe he knew that," Tom said, shaking his head. "Percy knows many things he should not know for being a Gryffindor and a Weasley. He would have no need of knowing how to heal victims of _Crucio_."

Ginny shrugged, and Tom drew his wand, beginning to show her how to do the "blue spell" that had helped Samantha. After a few minutes, she queried, "Tom, do you know what spell Dumbledore used to make the dementors leave the field?"

Tom frowned and nodded. "It's called a Patronus. It creates either a shield of positive emotions that dementors cannot penetrate, or a corporeal, animal form that chases the dementors away. A corporeal Patronus is said to be a representation of the caster's soul."

"Really?" Ginny asked in surprise. "Can you teach me how to do a Patronus, Tom?"

A dark look came over Tom's face and he walked away from her, going up to the Chamber wall and touching one of the serpents carved there. "No. No, I cannot."

Ginny frowned. "Tom, please. I need to know this in case—"

"No, Ginevra!"

"But why?" Ginny whispered, staring at his back. "Why won't you?"

"Because," he said, whirling around, coming back to her, and lifting her chin with his finger, "I cannot do a Patronus, Ginny."

She stared at him in surprise at his words. She had always known him to be able to do anything he wanted to, and saw how humbling it was for him to admit his inability. "Tom," she said softly, looking up into his eyes, "why not?"

Impatiently, he put his hand down, slapping it against his side. "Because the caster has to have a good memory to hold on to," he replied finally. "For years, I've had nothing but danger, pain, betrayal, and the like. That sort of stuff dementors love to make people remember. I'm no exception, Ginny Love." Tom rubbed a hand over his forehead in a nervous gesture. "I can't help you."

She watched him a second, then stepped forward and gave him a hug. "But you can make new memories, Tom," she whispered into his robe. "You should have some already. Remember everything that you've helped me with? Remember how wonderful it was to be freed from that journal? You have good memories, Tom; they're just buried deep within you."

"Ginny Love," he whispered softly into her ear, "I still can't help you. You need to go to someone who can help you. Someone who knows how to do a Patronus and can do one himself."

"Who?" she asked.

Tom bit his lip sharply. "Try Lupin. He should know. After all, he _defied_ my cousin and all his Dark armies and creatures by joining the Order of the Phoenix and all that. Most of the Order members could do Patronuses."

Ginny hugged him again and yanked him down to kiss his cheek. "Thanks," she told him, smiling happily. "Then, once I learn it, I'll come back and teach it to you."

Tom sighed and shook his head at her as she laughed and merrily danced away, out of the Chamber.

* * *

Several days later, Ginny stayed after her DADA class to talk to Professor Lupin. He asked her how he could help her, and she stood in front of him, considering whether she really wanted to ask him to help her or not. Finally, she sighed and looked him straight in the eyes. "I was wondering if you would teach me how to cast a Patronus," she told him.

The professor watched her for a moment, then said, "It is a difficult Charm, Ms. Weasley, one that many grown wizards cannot perform. Are you sure you want to attempt learning it?"

"Yes," Ginny replied firmly. "If the dementors are to be here indefinitely, I have to be able to protect my friends from them."

Lupin considered her words, then said, "You don't mean the Gryffindors, do you."

"No, I don't," said Ginny, frowning.

"Very well," Lupin told her. "When are you available to meet for a lesson?"

"After the afternoon classes any day," she said. "Or Saturday."

He nodded, then told the girl, "Meet me here in the classroom Tuesday afternoon."

Smiling, she nodded and hurried out of the classroom.


	21. Roda Kotsn

"Erik?" Estella asked, knocking on his dorm room door.

The door burst open and he frowned down at her. "What in Merlin's name are you doing all the way up here?" he demanded. "What's going on?"

Estella looked up at the Ravenclaw who towered over her and replied, "I came to tell you that I can't make it to the next study group meeting."

"Why not?" Erik asked her bluntly.

"I have a special DADA session scheduled for that time, and I forgot to tell him that I couldn't go Tuesdays," Estella replied. "Therefore, I can't make it to the meeting. I'll keep working on the charms you assigned, but I'm asking to be excused."

Erik laughed, surprising her. "You came up here, telling me that you won't be at the next meeting, and in the next breath asked me to excuse you from the meeting," he explained, after laughing at the look on her face. "Yes, Estella, you are excused."

Ginny smiled at him. "Thanks," she said happily.

"What's your special session for?" he asked her as she turned to leave.

"To learn the Patronus Charm," she replied without turning back to him. Estella walked down the boys' dorm stairs and found Percy in the Common Room, sitting in an obscure corner with his Ravenclaw girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater. "Oh, goodness," sighed Ginny to herself, determined not to say a word to them.

Suddenly, Penelope gave a start and a little cry and pointed to Estella, gasping something to Percy. He took her hand in his and reassured her that she was all right. Penelope yanked her hand away from Percy and stood, saying a few words to him before she began to follow Estella.

Ginny scowled to herself, moving quickly out of the Common Room and hurrying down the Ravenclaw Tower steps. She heard the seventh year girl call her name, but didn't stop. Footsteps hurried along until someone tapped her on the shoulder. Stifling a groan, Ginny stopped walking and turned to see Penelope standing there, Percy on the steps of Ravenclaw Tower. "What do you want?" Ginny asked sharply.

"Um, you're Estella Parkington, aren't you?" Penelope said, seeming embarrassed to have followed her out of the tower.

"The one and only," Ginny replied. "What do you want?"

Penelope turned red, frowning. "I—I thought—the Weasley girl's talked about you, and I thought—"

Her voice trailed off, and Ginny said, "Yes, I know her. She's my friend. And whatever you think about her, we are much the same."

"They are the same," Percy said, coming to stand beside his girlfriend and look from one girl to the other. Ginny's eyes narrowed at his statement.

"I told you to stay there and I'd be right back," Penelope hissed.

Percy shrugged uncharacteristically. "I knew you were coming after Estella, and I had to come," he replied.

She huffed. "What do you mean, they're the same?"

"Just what he said," Estella replied with a sigh, rolling her eyes. "I am Ginny Weasley, and she is I. We are the same—although most of the time we behave very differently."

"What kind of _madness_ do you two have?" Penelope asked.

"It's true," Percy said. "Ginny likes to have her second identity to run around in without being bothered. It helped her last year: that's when she got the idea."

Penelope glared sharply at the younger girl. "You were Estella when you came after me and Hermione," she spat.

Ginny frowned. "I didn't come after you; I came after Hermione because she'd found out the Chamber's secret," she replied. "You were simply in the way. Prefects do that a lot. And it wasn't me, because I wasn't myself. You know this, Clearwater. I was forced to do what I did."

"But now, she is free to do what she herself wishes to do," Percy said in slight amusement. "Within reason, of course," he added.

Penelope looked horrified. "You wouldn't—"

Ginny snorted. "No, I wouldn't. But I will hex you if you press me."

"You couldn't," Penelope said.

"Could too," Percy told his girlfriend. "She's out-dueled me twice before, and I have no doubt that she's taken down some that are even stronger. And don't say she wouldn't, because both Ginny and Estella definitely would. Without hesitation."

Penelope glared at Percy and Estella before turning around and stalking away. Estella looked at her brother. "Why did you tell her?"

"I didn't tell her everything," he replied. "Now, for goodness' sake, go pretend to be normal for a while."

"Yes, Your Highness," Estella told him, bowing low.

"Stop," Percy said in annoyance, wondering what Penelope would say to him later. "Get along with you."

Estella grinned and almost hugged him, but thought better of it. A Slytherin does not simply hug the Gryffindor Head Boy. "Thanks," she said softly, then hurried away down the hall.

Moments later, Ginny found herself in an empty classroom, wondering whether she should stay herself and go up to Gryffindor or change back to Estella and go down to Slytherin. Ginny reminded herself that Percy had told herself to pretend to be normal for a while, but reasoned that in no way was she normal. She knew that her dorm mates were probably going to curse her if she went up to her room, so Ginny decided to head down to the Slytherin dungeons.

As soon as Ginny walked into the Slytherin Common Room, Brianna, Samantha, and Pansy all looked up at her. None of them had really spoken to her since they'd kidnapped her, not even the twins in class. Pansy motioned Estella to come over to them, and she did so with a frown. "What is it now?" Estella asked warily.

Pansy frowned right back at her cousin. "We want you to come up to my dorm room so that we can talk about different things," she replied and Brianna nodded.

Estella glanced at Samantha, who had her arms crossed, and bit her lip. "Okay," she said without expression. The other three girls stood and headed off to Pansy's dorm room. "What?" Ginny asked them.

Pansy looked at the twins, then cleared her throat and began, "You weren't supposed to come to our house for the weekend anyway. You were supposed to go with the twins' family, but—"

"But I spazzed out and our family couldn't take you," Samantha spat miserably. "I'm sorry you got stuck with Pansy. Believe me, I know how you must feel..."

"I don't care if you are a poor little spastic," Pansy growled. "I'll curse you if you don't shut up."

Estella scowled and interrupted as they began to all argue with each other. "I stayed with Peony most of the time, and we had a very nice time together," Estella told the other girls. "I know that Pansy would rather I wasn't around her very much. Fred and George would rather I not be around her or talk to her at all. But can we all speak civilly to each other?"

Samantha and Pansy glared at each other, and Brianna sighed, "We can try, Stel. Um, what did you think of, you know, meeting your parents?"

Pansy raised an eyebrow at the twins, then stood and put up wards. "Stupid," she muttered under her breath. Samantha bristled, and Brianna put her hand over her sister's. "Go on," Pansy commanded Ginny.

"I hated not knowing what was going on," Estella said, looking from girl to girl without changing expression. "But when they came—and I saw her—she's just as wild as I'd imagined her to be."

"Dad says she's unpredictable and careless," Pansy said pointedly.

"Her eyes flash fire," Ginny continued, ignoring Pansy. "She has _purpose_. And she's _very_ good at Legilimency. She used it on me, and I didn't feel a thing!"

Pansy snorted, and Brianna pointed out, "You also used Legilimency on her, Stel. And your father knew it. What else did you observe about your parents?"

"Ah...he was more...quiet than I thought he'd be," Estella replied, tilting her head in thought. "But he's kind and gentle and yet still firm." She smiled at the thought of him. "He understood me. At least, right then he did."

"He can be very mean, Stel," Pansy warned her. "He is a Death Eater, you know."

"Of course I know," snapped Estella.

Pansy shrugged. "Just wanted to make sure," she said with a smirk. "Can't have you being delusional too. Your father isn't as cuddly as you think he is."

Estella blushed against her will and glared at her cousin. "Shut up, Pansy."

The older girl smirked but didn't reply. Brianna leaned forward, grinning. "So what happened after we all left and the Aurors came in?"

"Well, they put chains on me, and then argued with each other about whether I was my mother or not," Ginny began, making Samantha burst into giggles. "They decided I wasn't because I didn't have a Dark Mark, and then the girl took the chains off of me—and rolled my sleeve down."

Pansy burst out laughing, and Brianna looked at the two amused girls before turning to Estella. "What girl?" she asked.

"One of the Aurors was a young woman," Ginny replied. "She couldn't have been much older than Percy or Charlie. She seemed to see things that the others were blind to. And she was friendly."

"A friendly Auror," spat Samantha. "I think not. There's no such thing."

"To my knowledge, there hasn't been a woman Auror for years," Pansy said, frowning in thought. "Do you know who she was?"

Estella shrugged. "She insisted on escorting me out of Knockturn, but your father came and picked me up before we were all the way out," she answered. "But she did tell me her name was Nymphadora Tonks—and her hair was pink."

Pansy and the twins gasped, staring at Estella. "She must have just been accepted," Pansy said.

"Oh, goodness," groaned Brianna.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked them, puzzled.

The other three girls looked at her, and Samantha sighed. "That girl is a half-blood. Her mother was a Black—but she was disowned for marrying a Mudblood, and furthermore, blasted off the family tapestry."

Pansy looked away from the others. "Her mother's name is Andromeda, and she used to be Narcissa Black Malfoy's sister. You know, Narcissa is Draco's mother."

"Um," said Estella raising an eyebrow. "Draco's related to an Auror?"

Samantha glared at Ginny. "No!" she shouted, and Brianna squeezed her sister's hand. "They're not related anymore."

Brianna glanced at Pansy carefully, then said, "There's a third sister, but she's in Azkaban."

"Bellatrix Black Lestrange," Pansy said. "We don't talk about her: we let her rot."

"Well, it's not like you can stop the rot," Samantha said pointedly. "She basically incarcerated herself—"

"Stop," Brianna said. "No discussion needed about her. Anyway, Stel, it's almost a sin to speak of Nymphadora Tonks here in Slytherin. I suggest you not say anything about her to anyone."

"So was that all?" Samantha asked finally. "About meeting Cousin Meretta and Reginald for the first time?"

Estella bit her lip. "She said she'd meet me at the Dark Lord's side," she whispered. "What did she mean by that?"

Frowning, Pansy threw herself backward onto the bed. "Exactly what she said," Pansy replied. "When the Dark Lord comes back, Meretta expects you to join Him, as she and Reginald reunite with the other Death Eaters."

Brianna and Samantha looked over at Estella and sighed, "She has about as much faith in her Dark Lord as Bellatrix does."

"For good reason," Estella retorted, making them all stare at her. "He will return, and soon: I can feel it. Events are happening now that will cause Him to return. My mother and Bellatrix had faith: it will not be in vain." The twins bit their lips and looked at each other, feeling strange that Estella would speak in such a way to them.

"Would you go to Him?" Pansy asked sitting up very quickly and looking directly at Estella. "Would you become one of his?"

Estella gulped. "I hope not. Especially not during school," she said. "But He's not back yet, so no worries. Anyway, I'd rather talk about something else now."

All the other girls shivered and nodded.

* * *

Tuesday morning before lunch, Flora and Beatrix pounced on Ginny just outside of Gryffindor and demanded that she sit at the Hufflepuff table with them. The look in their eyes made Ginny a bit wary, and she asked, "What are you two planning?"

"Um," said Flora, looking at her friend.

"Someone wants to meet you," Beatrix said. "Another Hufflepuff. But she said she wants to see your true self, whatever that means."

Ginny frowned, looked around quickly, then charmed her hair black. "That's probably what she means," Ginny said. "Who is it, do you know?"

"Your true self is black hair?" Flora asked, confused.

"In a strange, secret, friend-to-friend way," Estella replied. "It's okay. Take me to her."

Flora and Beatrix grinned and took Estella by the arms, leading her all the way into the Great Hall and up to the Hufflepuff House table. "She's not here yet:" said Beatrix. "She met us up in our dorm room and asked us if she'd introduce you to her."

Estella frowned, reaching up and touching the house crest on her robes nervously. Flora gasped, and Beatrix saw what her friend was looking at. "Ginny," hissed Beatrix, "you can't wear the— _that_ crest! It's—"

"Cruel and unusual?" asked a brown-haired girl, grinning reservedly down at them. "Done that myself when it's needed." Flora and Beatrix stared at her.

"Who are you?" Estella asked firmly.

"Roda Kotsn," the girl replied, sitting down by Estella. "You must be Ginny Weasley. Pleased to meet you in person finally. I've seen you around, but I've been busy, so I asked your friends to introduce us." She held out her hand for Ginny to shake.

Estella took the girl's hand and realized that there was much more to the girl than she had thought. She could feel some sort of magic in the girl's hand: not a spell, but some sort of strange magic Estella had never felt before. Power hummed through the girl's arm, and Ginny let her own magic rush through her arm into her hand.

Roda yanked her hand away and frowned at Estella, the other two girls looking on curiously. "Why'dja do that?" she asked.

"You're different," Estella said to her, turning to the food and not speaking for a few minutes.

"D'ya want to go talk privately?" Roda asked her, glancing sideways at her. Estella shrugged, and Roda frowned.

"Something wrong?" Ginny asked pointedly.

Roda shook herself and shook her head no. "Mum always told me not to shrug and that it was undignified," she said. "I don't care, and Dad doesn't either, but every time I see someone shrug..."

Estella laughed. "I see," she said, pushing her plate away. "Ready now?"

"Sure," Roda replied, jumping up. The two of them excused themselves, Roda thanking Flora and Beatrix for introducing them. The girls beamed as Estella and Roda walked away.

Roda led Ginny into an empty room and drew her wand, quickly putting up strong wards. Ginny felt a Locking Ward on the door, a Notice-Me-Not Ward on the room, and a Silencing Ward for the entire room. "Wow," said Ginny. "You're fast."

The brown-haired girl smiled slightly, but replied, "I have to be. Slow isn't really part of me."

Estella laughed, and asked, "So, why did you say that you sometimes wear the Slytherin crest when you need to?"

"When I went to school," sighed Roda, thoughtfully twisting a lock of her hair around her wand, "I sneaked down to the dungeons once or twice and attended parties with my cousins and their friends. I couldn't go as myself, so I would always pretend to be someone else."

"Who are you really?" Estella asked sharply, hearing the girl's strange words ("When I _went_ to school"). "And why have you come to meet me?"

Roda looked at her for a moment, then sighed—and began to change her appearance. "Nymphadora Tonks!" shrieked Estella in horror, backing away as she recognized the young Auror. "What do you want with me?"

Tonks sighed and brushed her pink hair out of her eyes. "I came to make sure that you had arrived here all right," she replied. "Especially after that man came to pick you up."

"He's my uncle," Estella said defensively.

"I know that now," Tonks admitted. "Didn't then. I was worried about you, Estella."

"I'm fine," Estella sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Everyone is always worried about me! I was supposed to stay the weekend at my cousins' house, but I didn't because Sirius Black decided to be stupid and slash up the portrait of House Gryffindor's Common Room guardian. So the entire House of Gryffindor had to sleep in the Great Hall, and I got yanked back here to stay with my life-threatening dorm mates."

Tonks snickered before straightening up. "But you're all right? Being mistaken for your mother doesn't hurt you?"

Estella frowned. "I was freed," she said. "Thank you for that. I doubt the rest of them would have realized what was going on. Oh, and do you know if I hurt What's-his-name when I kicked him?"

"I don't think you did," Tonks replied, "but he wasn't thrilled with your trying to 'alter his appearance.'"

The two laughed together, and Estella randomly asked, "Does—does your mum ever talk about Sirius to you?"

"Well, she describes him as intelligent, arrogant, quick-tempered, insensitive, and impulsive," Tonks told Estella. "They were very close friends years ago, but not so much anymore, of course."

"Of course," Ginny agreed with a nod. "But anyway, I am safe in Knockturn unless I do something stupid, which I guard against. I don't think I've been to that Alley five times in my entire life. Larry—or whatever his name is—my uncle, came and picked me up for me to stay the weekend, but that was ruined. Anyway, I played with his younger daughter the rest of the time."

Tonks listened with interest, but Estella suddenly said, "I actually have to go meet Professor Lupin for an extra lesson. I was supposed to meet him right after lunch."

"Oh, okay," Tonks replied. "He's a friend of mine. Maybe I'll come with you to say hi. What's your lesson about, do you know?"

"I asked him to teach me the Patronus Charm," Ginny replied, looking over at the door. "Now, do whatever you have to do to disguise yourself or something and let the wards down. I need to be as close to on time as I can for my lesson. And can you please just forget you met me? I'll be all right with my friends."

"Careful with your friends," Tonks said, becoming the small, brown-haired girl against. "I know: I've been like you, and gone down to Slytherin as someone else. Just be careful—and if you ever face something hard, remember: you escaped chains and a prison by not being a wanted witch."

Giggling, the two left the now unwarded room and walked along together toward the DADA classroom. "Your crest," Tonks hissed. "You can't wear that in front of Remus—I mean, Lupin." Her ears turned red, and Ginny raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"You know him well?" she asked. "Did you know that he's—he's a—?"

"Yes," Tonks said, a dangerous fire in her voice, "did you want to make some point about it? Does it matter in the way of friendship?"

Estella shook her head as they approached the classroom. "I just wanted to know if you knew," she said, opening the door. "Hello, Professor, sorry I got a little stuck."

"That's all right," he answered. "I had other things to do in the—" He had seen the brown-haired Roda. "Tonks?" he asked curiously.

"No, Roda Kotsn," she said softly. "I don't want anyone to know I'm here. I'm leaving in a few minutes."

Lupin looked from Estella to Tonks, and the older witch said, "I'd met her before, and thought I'd come see how she was doing at school." Nymphadora grinned and shrugged.

Estella raised an eyebrow and wagged a scolding finger at the brown-haired girl. "Shame, DeeDee! It is undignified to shrug when you could give a simple answer!"

Tonks glanced at Ginny and grinned before saying, "I should go now. Thanks for the fun, Ginny."

Ginny lifted a hand and waved as the woman left. Looking up at Lupin, Estella asked, "How does she do her appearance so easily?"

"She's a Metamorphagus," Lupin replied. "You can look it up in the library if you're curious about it. She can change her appearance with just a thought."

"Say, that's cool," Estella said enthusiastically. "Now I'm jealous."

Lupin nearly smiled. "Are you ready to get to work?" he asked her, standing and waving the door shut with his hand. She nodded, and he continued. "A Patronus Charm is a difficult spell that many grown wizards cannot perform," Lupin told Estella. "It is not included in the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum until about fifth or sixth year, and many of those students are only taught the theory."

Estella nodded, listening closely. She'd told Tom to listen in, but he was still fuming about being locked in a room by an Auror. It had taken her several minutes to get him to quit ranting, and she'd finally snapped at him that he hadn't been there, and that it had only been her. Tom hadn't said another word, but Ginny knew he was still in her mind.

"A Patronus usually does one of two things: protect the caster and his friends from Dark creatures like dementors, or as a source of light," Lupin went on. "Either way, a corporeal Patronus is much stronger than just a shield Patronus."

"Isn't there something about a memory when it comes to casting the Charm?" Ginny asked, remembering what Tom had said.

Lupin smiled. "Yes," he said. "When casting a Patronus, you have to have a good memory in mind, because the Patronus is built off of positive emotions. Dementors and other Dark creatures know nothing about positive emotions and cannot pass the barrier, even being turned away by it."

"Good memories," Ginny repeated, thinking about what she'd experienced in her life. Instantly she thought of Tom helping her with Icythan and smiled. She remembered Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George all having fun with her during the summer and looked up at the professor. "I have them," she said firmly.

"Focus on one specific memory," he told her. "Make sure you remember if there was anything bad about it, because the dementors will definitely try to bring that out and stop you from casting your spell. You can't concentrate on anything bad."

Ginny nodded, and he motioned her to come forward. "I want you to try it without a dementor first," he told her. "See if you get anything from your wand. The incantation is _Expecto Patronum_."

Estella drew her wand and proceeded to try the Charm. Not even a wisp of smoke came from her wand. Frowning, she thought a minute, thinking of a stronger happy memory, and tried it again. Smoke billowed out of her wand, but did not form into anything.

"Almost," he encouraged her. "You'd have a good Shield Patronus, Estella."

She looked up at him in shock when he called her by her real name. He didn't say anything else, and didn't even look up at her as he said, "Try it again."

Estella concentrated on her happiness when she'd realized that Tom was still alive and hissed, " **Expecto Patronum**!" between her teeth. Slowly, laboriously, an animal began to form out of the mist. When Ginny smiled in the middle of her spell, the animal began to dissolve, and Lupin said, "Concentrate!"

The smile disappeared from Ginny face and a firm, determined look appeared as she held the spell, willing it not to dissolve. The animal had a bushy tail, and Ginny almost laughed as she saw it. Finally, the Patronus stood on the ground and looked up at Ginny.

"At this moment," Lupin said to Estella very softly, "you can send your Patronus to someone with a message, but if you make any quick move, the Patronus becomes simply a source of light or a protector."

Ginny grinned and said, "I don't have a message to send. But I never would have thought that my Patronus would be a fox."

Lupin smiled. "Your Patronus appears to think that you're sly, shrewd, and sneaky," he said. "In fact, I think your friend Roda might have the same Patronus."

"What's your Patronus?" Estella asked curiously, and he looked at her carefully for a moment.

"A bear," he replied finally, and Ginny smiled.

"That's cool," she said.

Lupin didn't comment about that, but answered, "Most people can't help what their Patronus is. And someone's Patronus can tell you a lot about them." Ginny nodded in agreement, and he said, "All right. Let's have you try out your Charm against a dementor—that is your reason for learning it, correct?"

Ginny nodded, and he told her, "I'll be here for you, and I'll step in if something goes wrong. Prepare yourself."

Biting her lip, Estella recalled the memory she'd used before and nodded at Lupin, who released the lid of the crate. A dementor slowly floated up out of the crate, facelessly seeming to stare right at Estella. Horror crossed her face, and her mind spun with terrifying thoughts. She barely got out the words of her Charm before she sank to her knees and everything went black.

When Ginny woke up, Lupin was sitting near her, the dementor nowhere to be seen. "I took care of it," he reassured her, handing her a piece of chocolate. "Here. Eat this: it'll make you feel better, remember?"

"Yes," Ginny rasped as she grasped it. "You gave me some on the Hogwarts Express and told me to share it with the other Slytherins."

Lupin nodded. "Now you know what it feels like when you're trying to face down a dementor. You have to concentrate even harder on your good memories because the dementor, especially if there is more than one, will be trying to find all the bad things about anything your mind happens to jump to. Also, anything that's recently happened to you will almost certainly be foremost in your mind."

Estella swallowed her chocolate, grateful for the warm feeling it gave her inside. "Can I try it again?" she asked.

The professor seemed to almost smile. "I was hoping you would," he said, standing up. "Whenever you're ready." He unsealed the crate when Estella gave the signal, and the girl was faced with a dementor again. Her few little wisps of smoke did not impress the Dark creature and Ginny sank to the ground, a hoarse cry wrenched from her as she remembered the Dark Lord's _Crucio_ s.

When Ginny opened her eyes once more, she saw someone standing beside her and gasped, scooting away from him at lightning speed. Realizing that her wand was on the floor where she had been, Ginny reached out her hand and called it to her. Looking up at the person, she realized that it was Professor Lupin and sighed, "Oh, goodness."

"Are you all right?" he asked her with a frown, seeing her tremble.

"Yes," she replied. "It's—it's the mental effect of a Curse someone did on me. It really shouldn't hurt, but every time I remember it—especially with dementors, it does."

"Someone used the Cruciatus on you, didn't they?" Professor Lupin said softly. "Who was it, Estella?"

Estella glared at him. "The Dark Lord," she spit out finally. "So what are you going to do to him? Cart him off to Azkaban?" Lupin stared at her in shock, and she continued, "He did it to me last year in order to make me obey him. But there's nothing to be done because it's all over now. Can I try my Patronus again?" She ran the last part in without a breath.

Lupin seemed to remember what they were doing. "If you wish," he said. "Are you sure you don't need to see Madam Pomfrey?"

"I'm fine," Ginny said stubbornly. "I don't want people to know because I don't want sympathy!"

"Very well," he agreed. "When you're ready, let me know."

Focusing on her thought that Tom's cousin had been destroyed and that she and Tom were free from him, Estella nodded slightly at Lupin. " **Expecto Patronum!** " Ginny shouted, pointing her wand at the dementor as it headed toward her. The temperature of the room dropped, and Ginny struggled to get the smoke from her wand to become her fox.

The dementor was very close when Ginny's fox finally formed and snapped at the dementor, sending it back to its box. She stood there and watched the fox trot around proudly before it disappeared.

"You did it," Lupin said to Estella with a smile. "Good job. Just remember: that was a bogart dementor. The real thing is much, much worse. Wonderfully done, Estella."

Ginny grinned a little, looking down at her wand and blushing slightly. "Thank you," she told him, smiling up at him.

Lupin nodded, then asked suddenly, "How did you know that I'm a werewolf?"

Estella stepped back, shocked that he knew that she was aware of his...difficulties. "Um, during one of the Defense classes, I realized it," she finally stammered. "It was when you weren't there. I—I understood."

"I understand if—" he began, but Estella interrupted.

"I'm not going to say a word about it," she told him. "It doesn't bother me at all. No one needs to know if they're not in danger, and I don't believe that the staff would put students in danger. I'm not worried."

Lupin regarded her carefully a moment, then nodded. "All right," he said. "I'm surprised you came to me even though you knew."

Estella smiled and tilted her head at him. "You're the Defense teacher," she replied. "Of course I'd come to you regardless of whether you were a centaur or a dragon or a unicorn or whatever. And how did you know that I knew?"

"Tonks told me," Lupin said in amusement. "Before she left earlier."

"Oh," Estella said, wondering how on earth the Auror had managed to tell Lupin while Ginny'd been standing right there between them. "Thank you for helping me," she added, looking up at him.

"Here," he said with a small grin, holding out something to her. "Take some chocolate with you: you'll probably need it."

"Thanks," she said, and hurried out of the classroom.


	22. Oh, Rats

Samantha grabbed her sister's sleeve and practically dragged her through the massive doors of Hogwarts, hauling her down to the dungeons. Shoving Brianna away from the door, Samantha thickly warded their entire dorm room and snapped, "Brianna Charleston, are you stupid? He's a wanted convict!"

"What if he told the truth?" Brianna asked Samantha miserably, collapsing onto the floor and staring up at her twin. "What if he really is innocent?"

"You practically promised to help him," hissed Samantha. "Do you know how much trouble we could get into if this gets out?"

"It won't," Brianna told her. "We're Slytherins, and we keep our secrets—Sirius won't tell, I'm sure."

Samantha glared. "It was bad enough that he realized that we were Animagi, but actually to capture us—we've got to get better than that," she groaned. "If we don't be careful...!"

Brianna sighed. "I know," she replied, "but he seemed so...wretched. And alone."

Samantha snorted and glared at her sister. "Wretched. He _is_ a wretch, Brie. He's just escaped from Azkaban, where he's been for most of his adult life, and his entire life is messed up! I don't even know why you feel sorry for him." She threw herself down beside Brianna and took her twin's hand. "Brie, let him survive on his own."

"I can't," whispered Brianna. "I keep remembering his terrified face when he vowed he'd never go back. Samantha, you know that we saved our parents from Azkaban in the first place. Can you imagine if they were taken from us now? Do you have any idea how Sirius must feel about being a wanted criminal? I have to help him as much as I can."

"No!" Samantha groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "Listen, Brianna. His own family disowned him because he betrayed them, and he betrayed his own friends! You can't assist him! He's dementor prey!"

Brianna shot to her feet and glared down at Samantha. "Not if I can help it," she snarled before storming toward the door.

Samantha jumped up quickly and gasped, "Please, Brianna, think about this!"

"I have!" snapped Brianna, whirling around. "I'm not going to help him get inside the castle, but I will take him food and help him see if he can get a hold of that rat he was talking about."

"That part of his story was ridiculous," Samantha said, shaking her head. "I wasn't sure if he was delirious or whatever. 'The Weasley boy's rat' indeed. Really? I didn't even know he had a rat."

Brianna nodded. "Stupid thing," she told Samantha. "I saw it at the Burrow: it poked its scruffy head out of Ron's robe pocket. Anyway, I think we'll probably have to get Estella to help us get the rat into our hands."

Samantha shrieked. "Brianna Charleston, you cannot bring her into this!" she hollered. "She was all screwed up with the Chamber of Secrets last year, and you can't get her mixed up with Sirius Black this year!"

"No, but she can help with the rat," Brianna replied. "It'll be fine—oh, and if I'm missing some nights, I'm out taking food or something to Sirius."

"Brie, you're going to get us expelled," cried Samantha, on the verge of tears. "You'll get us sent to Azkaban ourselves! You'll get us Kissed!"

"I will not," Brianna replied with a frown, putting her arms around her twin, who clung to her. "I'm not that forgetful of everything that Mum and Dad taught us. I'll be very careful, Nan."

Samantha looked up at her and smiled shakily. "Are you going to call me Nan from now on?"

Brianna shrugged. "Maybe. It fits, I think. Anyway, I know you're worried, but I'll be all right." Samantha sighed and pulled away as Brianna turned back to the door and removed the wards. Brianna walked away from her dorm room thinking of her Patronus Charm practice sessions with Professor Lupin. She'd done it for Samantha, but Brie knew that the spell might come in handy whenever she was out at night.

* * *

Estella sat at the Slytherin House table a few days later, laughing and talking with the twins during lunch. Suddenly, Brianna said, "Stel, do you think you can get Ron's rat for us?"

She stared at them. "Why would you want that mangy creature?" she asked pointedly. "It's nasty. And there are lots of other animals more beautiful and useful."

"We'd like to...modify it a bit," Samantha told Ginny, her eyes twinkling. Brianna glanced at her twin in surprise and grinned back at Ginny.

"Oh," said Ginny, giggling. "In that case, I suppose I could get it for you. Just don't kill it."

"I won't," Brianna promised as Samantha said, "We won't."

A moment later, someone passed their seats and Ginny reached up to rub her stinging neck, frowning. It was Percy. "What did he do?" Brianna asked.

Estella shook her head. "He wants to talk to me," she replied. "I'll have to go see what he wants in a few minutes."

"Okay," Brianna said. "But don't forget the rat."

"I won't," Estella promised. "I'll bring it to you tomorrow night, probably. I'll have to snitch it from him tomorrow morning."

The twins smiled. "Thanks!" they chorused. Estella nodded, then rose from the table and hurried out of the Great Hall. She changed her appearance on her way up to Gryffindor Tower, finding the Common Room nearly empty. She quickly hurried up the boys' dorm stairs and went to Percy's room. Knocking softly, Ginny pushed the door open and peeked into the room.

Percy looked up at her from where he was sitting on his bed and nodded at her. "I'm glad you understood what I meant," he said, motioning her to come sit beside him.

"You wanted to talk to me?" she asked him curiously.

"Yes," he said, drawing a design on the floor with his shoe. "I thought I should tell you that Penelope and I broke up." Ginny looked up at him in surprise, raising an eyebrow. "She was upset about the little run-in the three of us had, and I ended up having to explain to her how you can be two different people and still not be to blame for her petrification."

Ginny looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to cause problems."

"You didn't," Percy told her with a grin. "You freed me. It was getting hard to talk to her anyway. I owe you one."

"Ha," Ginny replied. "You've helped me dozens of times over. You don't owe me anything."

Percy grinned and nodded, then said, "I guess that's all I wanted to say. I just thought you might want to know."

"Thanks," Ginny replied, hopping up and grinning at him before dancing out of the room. On her way back to her dorm room, she stopped by Ron's room. After listening at the door in case there was anyone inside, she hurried into the room and shut the door. She hurried over to the cage and blew on the bedding to bring the rat out of his tunnels. "There you are," she told it, grabbing it and putting it in the pocket of her robe. "Now behave." She set off for the Slytherin dungeons, a Weasley rat in her pocket.

* * *

Estella walked across the Common Room, grinning at the twins. Samantha was frowning, but Brianna grinned excitedly. "Did you get it already?" she asked curiously.

"Yup," said Ginny, indicating her pocket. "Wanna see him now or later?"

"Come," Samantha told them, jumping up and grabbing their arms. "We should go to our room if you're going to talk."

The three girls hurried up to the room, finding it locked and warded. "Megan and Guage," sighed Brianna, leading them down the hallway to the first years' room. "Get out," she snapped at the two that were there, pointing her wand at them. They glared at Brianna and her friends before leaving the room. "Okay, then," Brianna said after hurriedly putting up wards.

Ginny pulled the scruffy rat out of her pocket and set it on the bed, where it looked at the three of them nervously, sniffing the air. It darted under the sheet when Brianna reached for it, and she glanced over at Samantha, raising an eyebrow. "What are you going to do to him?" Ginny asked curiously, laughing as she retrieved the rat from the sheets. "Behave now," she told the rat, looking directly into its eyes.

"Why do you talk to him like that?" Samantha asked.

"Because Scabbers seems to understand and obey better when I speak to him like that," Ginny replied. "Ron won't do that because he thinks it's stupid, but it works." She scowled at the thought of her brother. "So what are you going to do to Scabbers?"

"They know the _Hisssusss's_ sssecret," Icythan informed her as the twins glanced at each other and back at Ginny without saying a word.

Ginny frowned at them and hissed back, "What isss the sssecret?"

"The _Hisssusss_ isss not a rat," Icythan told her, trying to think of how to explain it to her. "It isss a non-speaker." Ginny just stared. "Not a rat, but it can be something else. Like the Colourful One, it's not what it seems to be."

"If it'sss not a rat, what isss it?" Ginny asked.

"A non-speaker," Icythan replied in annoyance. "It hasss magic. Animalsss do not have magic."

The twins looked at each other uncomfortably when Ginny stared first at the rat and then at them. "You know that it's not a rat?" she asked them, and Scabbers squeaked in horror, struggling to get away from her. "Stop it, or I'll let Icythan eat you," she snapped at him before looking back at the twins.

The two of them glanced at each other worriedly, and Brianna sighed, "That's what we wanted to find out. We were told that he's actually the one who betrayed Potter's parents to the Dark Lord and framed Sirius Black for his evildoing."

Ginny gaped and shrieked when Scabbers bit her hand, jumping to the floor and heading for a crack in the wall. " **Stupefy!** " Samantha snarled, raising her hand and flinging a spell at the rat. It stopped dead in its tracks, stunned.

" _Obliviate_ him," Brianna told Ginny. "I understand you have a good Memory Charm?"

"Spells can hurt an Animagus!" Ginny protested and Samantha glared at her.

"Parkington, do what she says! Who cares if he becomes a little more stupid? He can't remember this!" she snapped. "In fact, you might want to take him back to his cage before he wakes up!"

Ginny raised her wand and Obliviated the rat, feeling stupid as well as mean. Grabbing him by the tail, she stuffed him in her pocket, storming toward the door. She turned around and frowned thoughtfully. "Who told you about this?" she demanded.

Brianna frowned. "Become an Animagus yourself and you might find out," she replied.

"How would I do that?" asked Ginny in annoyance. "I don't even know if I could be an Animagus!"

"You can," Samantha said. "I know you can. We'd help you—we're Animagi, you know."

Estella stared at them, now thoroughly annoyed with them. "You're so secretive, both of you," she snapped. "You don't tell me anything! We used to be such good friends!"

Samantha gasped. "Stel, please don't say that! We all have our own secrets, I'm sure! But that doesn't mean that we have to be angry with each other! Please—"

Brianna silenced her sister with a look, and said, "We're still friends, Stel. I'm sorry we didn't tell you the whole truth, but I don't want to betray another friend's confidence. You'll have to become an Animagus to find it out."

Estella sighed, shaking her head. "Okay," she said, "but I don't even know where to begin."

"We'll help you, like we said," Brianna told her. "Our family is all meeting at Pansy and Peony's house for Christmas, and we would like you to join us. We can work on it then."

"I'd—love to," said Ginny hesitantly. "How would that work, though?"

"We'd manage it just like we did when you left before," Samantha replied. "Except for the Stunning and kidnapping."

Grinning slightly, Estella nodded. "Let me know more later: I'll try to come. And thanks," she said softly, before turning and hurrying out of the room.

Samantha groaned and flung herself backward onto one of the beds. "She knows now!"

"Yes, and I didn't tell her," Brianna retorted sharply. "And she'll be able to find out on her own if she wants to."

"Not if we help her!" Samantha practically shrieked. "We're putting her in danger!"

Brianna snorted. "She's always in danger anyway," Brianna said. "She's Estella Parkington, and only a few people know it. Then, she's got Riddle on her case—I wonder how that's going—and so many other things going on—she's dangerous, Nan!"

Sighing, Samantha nodded. "I just wish that she hadn't found out," she replied, and Brianna agreed.

* * *

 _Tom_ , sighed Ginny, putting the limp rat back into the cage, _what on earth is going on? The girls are not the same as they used to be._

 _They're growing into the adult witches they will be for the rest of their lives,_ Tom replied. _And Ginny Love, being in Slytherin often makes one be more secretive from their own friends—or even family. They're changing, just as you've changed, and will be changing. Your brothers noticed the change in you, and now you're realizing it in the twins. Be patient with them—they're probably getting on each other's nerves as well._

Ginny thought about the twins' glaring at each other and closed the cage door, making sure that it latched. _I see,_ she sighed, and the door to the room opened. Whirling around, Ginny stuck her hand in her pocket, ready to draw and curse.

Two boys stared at her in surprise, and one drew back from the doorway, hissing, "Come on, Seamus, let's go somewhere else."

"But—oh, you're the Weasley girl," Seamus said, nodding at Ginny knowingly. "Ron's not here, you know."

"Duh," Dean said to his friend, and Seamus elbowed him. "Ow!" Dean added.

Ginny relaxed a little. "I came to put his rat back in the cage," she said. "I know he wasn't here: he doesn't even know that I had his rat. Anyway, I'll be going now. See you around." She nodded at them and left the room, hurrying over to her own room.

Marlene looked up at her from doing homework on her bed. "Weasley," she spat.

Ginny didn't reply, but went to her bed and crawled inside the ward to be safe from everyone in the room. She pulled out her Charms textbook and began her own homework before she had to go to bed.

* * *

In Transfiguration the next morning, Cherea quietly told Ginny that the twins wanted her to stay in their room that night. McGonagall frowned in their direction without stopping her lecture, and Cherea turned a page in her book, pausing to underline and write something down. The professor turned her attention away from Cherea and Ginny, looking at the other side of the class.

Ginny nearly groaned aloud, but stopped herself in time. _I'm always in trouble,_ Ginny thought to herself. _Sometimes I wish that instead of getting in trouble for nothing, that I actually do something worth getting in trouble for._ She grinned proudly to herself, and answered Cherea's questioningly-raised eyebrow with a non-committal shrug. Cherea didn't ask, and Ginny tried hard to pay attention to her professor.

When Transfiguration was over, Ginny said goodbye to Cherea and hurried off without another word. She hurried down to the dungeons, heading to the Potions classroom. Ginny found Thorin, Flora, and Beatrix already there, standing behind one of their cauldrons and speaking in low tones.

Grinning, Ginny came over to them, and the girls greeted her happily, being hushed by Thorin. "What's wrong with you?" Beatrix asked him. "Snape's not here."

"Doesn't matter," he replied. "You never know where he is or when he's going to show up, so follow his rules all the time."

"You're such a good little Hufflepuff," Flora told him, patting him on the head and making him jerk away.

Ginny snickered knowingly, and Thorin grinned at her. They both knew that Flora had misunderstood why he had warned them to be quiet. "Hufflepuffs actually aren't the rule-followers," Beatrix interrupted their thoughts. "It's the Ravenclaws who are all like, mmm-hmmm!" She very properly folded her hands together in front of her, lowering her twinkling eyes in teasing respect.

"Yeah," said Thorin. "And Slytherins think that rules are meant to be broken."

"Shhh!" Flora hushed him, glancing around worriedly.

"Bent," Ginny corrected him. "Bent, not broken. Gryffs are the ones who think rules are made for the breaking."

"You would know," Flora said offhandedly to Ginny.

Ginny glared at the girl. "Shut up," she hissed angrily, making Flora step back as Beatrix stepped between them. "What do you think, Bea?" she asked the girl.

"I think...," she began, then said, "I think rules are rules. And that they're made."

"By people," Thorin added solemnly.

"Exactly," Bea agreed, looking at Ginny.

"And that they mean something?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow. _Never anger a band of Hufflepuffs,_ Ginny made a note to herself. The girls giggled and Thorin rolled his eyes, the girls not noticing.

Thorin motioned toward a cauldron farther back in the room. "Work with me today," he told Ginny. She grinned and nodded, lifting her bag over her shoulder again and following him back to the corner. "Be careful what you say to them," he said softly. "They don't know about you, remember? And they won't understand that you don't like being compared to Gryffindors because you are _not_ like the Gryffindors."

Ginny nodded, sitting down with Thorin as Snape suddenly appeared in the front of the classroom. "Where did he come from?" Bea hissed at Flora. The other girl shrugged.

Snape sneered at them but didn't say anything. Students began to come into the room, trying to be as quiet as possible so they wouldn't draw extra attention to themselves.

* * *

When class was let out, Ginny quickly left the room, hurrying to get ahead of the rest of them so she could take the secret passageway and change her appearance. Fred and George flanked her when she appeared in the Entrance Hall, and she frowned at both of them in annoyance, spotting the Charleston girls coming up the down the stairs toward them.

"Hey, Parkington," Fred told her with a grin, "we've got something for you."

"Get lost, Weasley," she replied without looking at them again.

"Hey, there are two of us, you know," George said, as Fred added, "Awww, c'mon, Parkington. Let's talk. We can go sit over in Ravenclaw." Fred lowered his voice and added, "You didn't change your crest to Slytherin, Gin. You haven't got a crest on your robes."

She frowned and hissed back, "These aren't normal school robes. Follow me if you must." Estella strode off toward the Ravenclaw House table, carefully choosing where to sit in order to help block her from the Slytherins' view. She sat down, and the twins sat on either side of her.

"We found out that you're not into that Muggle make-up stuff," Fred said, and Estella snorted, not dignifying the statement with a reply. "But," continued George, "we've made the fingernail polish we promised—and it really does flame!"

"But it doesn't hurt you, or whoever it hits," Fred explained. "And there are two kinds of it. One of them shoots flame when you swish-and-flick your wand—"

"And the other shoots flames when you flick your fingers," George interrupted. "We wanted to allow you to try both of them—either on your own, or sharing them."

Fred's eyes twinkled. "Remember, Parkington, it's always kind to share," he told her.

"Yes, misery loves company," Estella replied, shoving a bite of food into her mouth.

"Oh, come off it!" George said, pulling a tiny bottle out of his pocket. "This is the swish-and-flick one."

Fred pulled out an identical bottle, except for the writing on the cap. "This says 'Fingers' on top," he told her, in case she couldn't read it. "When the polish is applied, you flick your fingers and flames come out from under your fingernails."

Estella almost grinned, but caught herself. "Wonderful," she proclaimed, taking a drink and then reaching for a napkin. They set the bottles by her plate and asked, "Will you test them for us?"

She nodded, and the twins grinned at each other over her head. "Thanks, Parkington, and—if at all possible, you know, the other twins?"

"Of course," Ginny replied with a grin. The thought had just come to her that she could take the bottles with her when she went on Christmas break to Pansy's house. "Um, I need to speak to you two later, probably up in your room..."

The boys nodded, and a girl's voice said sharply, " _Excuse_ me? What did you say to them?"

The three looked up, startled, to see Cherea Charleston frowning at them suspiciously. She'd just come to the Ravenclaw table. "Oh," said Estella. "Boys, this is Cherea Charleston, Brianna and Samantha's first cousin. Cherea, I'm sure you've seen the Weasley twins around."

Cherea frowned slightly, seeming uncomfortable. "Can't miss the gingers," she replied coolly, receiving disappointed looks from the twins. "Estella," the girl told Ginny, "please act like you have some intelligence when you're yourself."

"Intelligence?" Fred quipped. "She wasn't even offered Ravenclaw!"

"Sorting Hat didn't even think of it," George added. "Looked into Stella's mind and forgot intelligence existed."

"George!" snapped Estella, fixing him with a scowl.

But the boys were grinning at her from either side, not stopping. "In fact, the Sorting Hat often marvels that he didn't put her in Hufflepuff..."

Fred's eyes grew wide and he froze as the tip of Estella's wand touched his face below his ear. "Gin—Estella, don't—"

When George realized what was happening to his twin, he gulped and squeaked, "Stel—don't hurt him, please! We were just joking!"

"Yeah, joking," echoed Fred, his eyes glancing sideways at his sister's wand.

"We'll make it up to you," George added. "Just—let him go, please?"

Cherea rolled her eyes at them and walked away to eat before everyone cleared out of the Great Hall. Estella withdrew her wand from her brother and shrugged. "I'm warning you," she said.

Fred reached up and rubbed his neck, glancing at his twin. "Merlin, girl," he told her, "you're quite mean for a twelve year old."

Estella snickered. "I'm afraid you don't know the half of it," she informed them. "Now, for your own sakes, let me eat in peace!"

Fred and George turned their attention to their own plates and only communicated by glancing at each other once in a while. As Estella was standing up to leave, Fred gave George a meaningful look, and George said, "Ah, don't forgot the prototypes."

"The wha—oh yeah." She realized that they meant the bottles of their "Flame" nail polish. Snatching the bottles off the table, she turned and almost ran into Percy, who was striding down the Ravenclaw table, intent on the Weasley twins.

Putting his hands on their shoulders, he leaned down and asked, "Don't you two have class right now?"

Identical looks of horror crossed the twins' faces, and one of them let out a sharp exclamation. "There are younger students around," Percy said sharply. "Don't say such things—and Mum wouldn't be pleased."

"He's gonna kill us!" squeaked George, and Ginny realized that Fred and George must have Potions after lunch. The twins jumped up and sprinted from the Great Hall, book bags over their shoulders.

Percy looked after them, a pleased look on his face. "Were they bothering you?" he asked her calmly.

Estella grinned. "Nothing I couldn't handle," she replied, tilting her head to look at the Head Boy. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to be somewhere else as well."

"History of Magic?" Percy asked.

"Defense," she answered, lifting her book bag and pocketing her wand. Winking at him secretly, she said softly, "Thanks," and hurried out of the room.

* * *

Entering the classroom after quite a jog, Ginny reached up and pulled her hair over her shoulder. To her horror, Ginny found that she'd forgotten to change her hair back to Weasley red! Everyone was staring at her, wondering who on earth she was, and a couple of the boys grinned at her, even though they didn't know her.

Lupin studied her for a moment, then said, "Playing with Colour-changing Charms, Ms. Weasley?"

Mouths dropped open, and Ginny simply nodded, walking into the room and sitting down near the back of the room. Her heart pounded as she wondered how she would explain to the other Gryffindors in her year why she was sporting black hair and a non-freckled face.

She was very thankful that Lupin had helped her out, and was glad that he hadn't drawn undue attention to her unusually-coloured hair. When the homework was given, Ginny didn't even write it down, putting her things away. The instant he dismissed them, she walked out of the classroom before anyone could even turn to look at her.

Ginny hurried as quickly as she could along the corridors, longing to find an empty classroom and change her appearance again. Taking advantage of the first one she found, she hurried to the library, knowing that she needed to do some research for her homework assignments. These were the last assignments before the Christmas holidays.

Once she was finished with most of them, she remembered that she was supposed to have talked to Fred and George in their dorm room like she had promised she would. Packing up her supplies, Ginny set off for Gryffindor Tower, trying to mentally prepare herself to find Heark waiting to curse her.

But Heark wasn't anywhere to be seen when Ginny arrived. Fred and George waved her over to sit with them, Fred scooting over on the couch so his sister could sit between them. "So, what's up?" Fred asked. "You little meanie!"

Ginny giggled. "Sorry," she apologized. "Appearances to keep up. I hope I didn't say anything too bad?"

"No," George told her teasingly, "but you look it. Best be careful, or Percy'll send you straight to the Hospital Wing for another dose of that Pepperup Potion!"

"He won't," Ginny said sharply, "or I'll curse him!"

The twins grinned as others turned to look at Ginny because of her words. "Come on," Fred said cheerfully, jumping up. "Let's go up to our dorm room and talk. No one's up there right now."

Ginny nodded and walked with the twins to their room. Fred warded the place, making sure that no one could come in, and that no one would be able to hear what they were saying.

"Now then, Ginny," began George, "what's going on?"

"Well," Ginny began, unsure of how to put her thoughts into words, "I'm not staying here for the Christmas holidays: I'm going home with some friends."

"The Charleston girls?" Fred asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

Ginny shook her head. "They'll be there," she answered, "and Cherea too. We're meeting at the Parkinson house."

The twins seemed confused, then gasped. " _Pansy_ Parkinson's house?" George asked incredulously. "Ginny, we _told_ you—"

"I've been there before," Ginny interrupted. "My grandmother lives there, with Pansy's parents and her little sister."

"A grandmother?" Fred said with a snort.

"Yes," Ginny said impatiently. "My mother's mother, Ramea Black Parkinson. Pansy's dad's mother."

"Wait," George interjected with a frown. "You've been there before? When? I thought Mum only let you go to the Charleston girls' house!"

Looking down at the floor, Ginny sighed and explained, "I've been there once: when the twins had something happen and I couldn't stay at their house. Anyway, I'll take the _prototypes,_ as you call them, and have the girls test them with me."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Ginny," he began, "you wouldn't do—"

"Magic out of Hogwarts?" George joined in. "Honestly, Gin—"

"Boys, stop," Ginny groaned. "You know what I think about that: I told you last summer. It's a Wizarding household, and magic can't be traced there. It'll be okay."

"Whatcha gonna do there?" Fred asked. "Besides getting into trouble with the twins and playing with our 'Flame' polish?"

Ginny shrugged. "There's a beautiful garden, and different things to do. I don't know everything: I had to leave the house rather abruptly."

The twins grinned, one of them pulling something that looked like candy from his pocket. "Here," he told her. "It's a Kanga Krunch. And maybe we'll get you a couple other things to take with you."

"Just don't turn your grandmother into a pair of bunny slippers," cautioned the other twin with a snicker.

"Fred!" protested Ginny, "I'd never—"

"But you've done things like that before, Percy says," George informed her.

Ginny frowned. "And you believe him?"

The twins glanced at each other, then nodded at her. "You were wrestling with Charlie once, Percy said, and you accidentally made Charlie's fingers disappear so he couldn't grab you. If you can do things like that, surely you can turn this Maria Parkinson into a—"

"Her name is _Ramea_ ," Ginny snapped, jumping up and glaring at them. "What?" she demanded as they stared at her in surprise. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Your—eyes," said one of them. "They—they just changed from green to black!"

Ginny bit her lip and stepped back, away from the twins, carefully glancing toward the door. "Oh, don't go," Fred said, jumping up and standing between her and the door. "How do you do that? That'd be a great trick to do to some of our friends!"

"No," whispered Ginny, putting her hands over her face and sitting down on the floor. _Tom, there are so many things about me I don't understand! How can I explain what I don't know?_

 _Just tell them what you do know: that your Mum had the same ability,_ Tom replied. He'd been silently watching Ginny for a while, letting her work out her own difficulties unless she really was in danger.

"What's wrong, Ginny?" Fred asked, sitting down beside her. George joined them, and Ginny sighed, looking over at him. "You're not a—"

"No, I'm not," Ginny said sharply. "I didn't do it on purpose."

"Charlie said that sometimes the Metamorphagus he knows—Nymphadora Tonks—sometimes changes her appearance on accident as well," George told Ginny. "Are you sure you're not...?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Ginny snapped. "I'm not like _her_."

The twins frowned. "Do you know her?" they asked.

Ginny sighed again. "She's an Auror, you know," she began. "Once, a group of Aurors mistook me for my mother, and she was with them. She was the only one who seemed to know who I really was—my hair was black at the time. So, I guess I kind of do."

The boys grinned at each other. "Wicked!" they said together. "They thought you were your mother—what was her name again?"

"Meretta Parkington," Ginny repeated. "Anyway, it's from her that I received this crazy thing I accidentally do with my eyes. I don't know how to use it properly, and I don't know anyone else who's got it except my mother. Our eyes change colours according to our emotions, but we're also supposed to be able to change them at will, except I haven't experimented with it yet. I'm not sure I want to know all about how weird I am."

"You're not weird," George told her firmly. "You're different, and that's awesome."

"Special," Fred added. "Very cool, and—our sister."

"Don't let anyone drag you down," George continued, and Fred looked away.

"Gin," he began softly, "we almost lost you last year. There is no way that we'd ever let you go because your real parents were Death Eaters or because your eyes change colors."

George looked at Ginny carefully. "We might not be your family, Ginny, but we have been. And even if families don't always stick together, we're your friends, and we'll stick by you."

Ginny hid her face in Fred's sleeve. "Thanks," she whispered to them.

After a few minutes of silence, someone knocked on the ward. The three Weasleys jumped to their feet and Fred dropped the wards, the door springing open. The twins' friend Lee Jordan stood there. "You leaving me out?" he asked them. "Oooh, what's the girl doing in here? Go annoy the Head Boy or something," he told her.

"I am one of the few who do not annoy him," Ginny retorted, raising her chin and frowning at Jordan. "But I have business with him anyway. Later, Fred, George."

"Bye, Ginny," they called after her, having given her Kanga Krunches to take with her on Christmas break.

 _That really was well done, Ginny Love,_ Tom told her, and Ginny smiled proudly, walking up to the door of the seventh year boys' room. She knocked crisply and the door swung open, showing that Percy wasn't there.

Another boy looked up from a Quidditch book. "Hey," he said distractedly. "Percy was on a—a thing, whatever it's called. A patrol. Then he was going to head down to the library. You could probably find him there, if that's what you're looking for."

"Thanks," Ginny said, but the boy, whom she knew to be Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, had already returned to his book.

 _To the library_ , Tom sang happily in Ginny's head.

Chuckling to herself, she practically skipped down the hall toward the library. Bouncing around a corner, she smacked into to someone head-on, and jumped back, gasping, "Sorry!"

The blonde boy straightened up and said coolly, "Watch where you're going, Weasley."

"Can you even see where you're going?" Ginny retorted. "Or do you need glasses too?" Leaving the taunt hanging, she disappeared down the hall into the library, knowing she'd probably catch a curse from Draco later.

She spotted Percy in the Restricted Section, and knew that she'd have to wait for him. Sitting down, Ginny pulled a book that someone had left on the table toward her. " _The One Hundred Ways Book_ ," Ginny read to herself. "One hundred ways to make someone avoid you, one hundred ways to stop someone from doing what they are planning—" She snickered as she read the next several, covering her face with one hand to keep herself quiet.

"One hundred ways to make someone throw up, one hundred ways to make—someone unable to sit down—" Ginny giggled aloud before she could stop herself. Putting the book down after reading several ways of giving someone rather painful boils on the bum, she looked up to see Percy looking at her curiously.

Percy went to the counter and checked out the book he'd gotten from the Restricted Section. He then came back to Ginny. "Were you waiting on me?" he asked with a grin. "Come, we shouldn't talk in here. Are you taking that book?"

Ginny snickered, clapped her hand over her mouth, and shook her head, walking out of the library before she could get herself in trouble by being too loud. Percy followed her, holding his book carefully. "What's so funny?" he asked her. "And what did you want from me?"

"Oh, um, I needed to tell you that I'm not going to be around during the Christmas holidays," she told Percy as they walked toward the Gryffindor Common Room together. "I'm going to be with some of my friends for Christmas."

"Oh. Okay," Percy answered.

"'Okay'? That's all?" Ginny said, not believing her ears.

Percy shrugged. "I assume you're leaving the grounds, and that the professors think you're going home to the Burrow. Be safe, Ginny," he warned her. "You know what Professor Dumbledore said about the Azkaban guards."

"Drat them," snapped Ginny, and Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Careful," he said softly. "Mustn't anger them."

"I'll try," Ginny sighed. "But I think we'll be leaving by Floo, actually. Samantha doesn't react well to dementors."

"I noticed," Percy said drily. "At the Quidditch match. She had nearly as bad a reaction as Harry did. Then you have everything in order? Have you told anyone else?"

"Just Fred and George," Ginny replied as they headed down the corridor toward the Portrait Hole. "I kind of told them that it was a secret, and that I was going to tell you too. I do not want Ron to know: he'll ruin everything."

Percy nodded with a snort. "Good thinking," he told her. "When are you leaving?"

"I'm not sure," Ginny said with a frown. "I'm supposed to have a sleepover with the girls tonight to find out the details and different things."

"Ah," Percy said with a nod. "And I guess you know—be careful."

Ginny grinned as they climbed through the Portrait Hole after Percy threatened Sir Cadogan, the one who'd taken over for the Fat Lady after Sirius Black had slashed up her frame and canvas. The knight had evidently changed the Tower password again without telling the Head Boy and Gryffindor prefects.

Muttering to himself in annoyance, Percy stepped into the Common Room, turning to wait for Ginny. She was right behind him, smiling at the thought of Sir Cadogan being ripped out of his canvas. She always marveled how Percy could come off as such a well-mannered, polite boy when she knew that he had some nasty ways of getting what he wanted.

"So what are you going to do now?" Percy asked her, glancing around carefully.

"Get my things together and leave for the night," Ginny replied softly. "I don't want people to know where I'm going, of course, so I'll leave a bit early and do homework down in Slytherin."

Percy gave Ginny a one-armed hug, making sure to keep his book away from her. "Very well. Have a good time," he said.

She nodded, pulled away from him and hurried up to her room to gather her things. Having completely forgotten about her class earlier, Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin when Marlene snapped, "Why did you have black hair in class earlier?"

"And where'd your freckles go?" Marianne asked curiously.

"Charmed," Ginny said, rummaging in her trunk for something. "Oh, drat, I must have left it in my nightstand." Hurrying over to her nightstand, Ginny found her History of Magic book that she needed for her homework that night. "And I was playing with Colour-changing Charms for my hair because I thought it was cool. I've only worked with black, though. I guess I should maybe work with others..." She shrugged and lifted up her book bag. "See you around," she told them, and left the room.


	23. Parkinson House

Starting down the stone steps toward the dungeons, Estella heard someone call her name, and turned to see Cherea hurrying to catch up with her. "What's up?" Estella asked her cousin.

"I just wanted to walk with you," Cherea answered breathlessly. "Did you really go to class with black hair today?"

"It—it was an accident," Estella said defensively. "I'd been talking with Fred and George, and forgotten that I didn't look like a Ginny Weasley. Professor Lupin rescued me by mentioning my playing with Colour-changing Charms."

"Does he know who you really are?" Cherea asked curiously.

Estella nearly shrugged, then replied instead, "I'm not sure. I think he does, and I think Dumbledore and McGonagall do—oh, Snape definitely does. And Snape knows that I know, too."

Cherea raised an eyebrow. "What does he think of that?" she asked.

"He told me that if I play with fire, I'm bound to get burned," Estella answered nonchalantly. "He was pissed that I'd been coming down to the Slytherin Common Room without very many of the Slytherins finding out. He taunted me about needing Granger to help me brew a potion—which I don't!—and I threw some acidic something-or-other on him accidentally."

"Sounds to me as if he was the one who got burned," Cherea giggled behind her hand, trying not to be too loud.

At that moment, the very person they were speaking of appeared, striding down the stone corridor toward where they were. Professor Snape scowled at both of them, especially Estella, and hissed, "Come to get more attention, Parkington? Don't get enough in your house?"

"Nonsense," Estella said, scowling herself. "I get way too much because I stand out from all their irritating normalities." She almost added that Slytherin House was like a shelter to her, but stopped just in time.

A sick smile slowly grew on Snape's face. "Slytherin is not a haven for outcasts," he sneered at her.

Estella looked up at him, feeling about ten years old again. "Thank goodness," she said. "If it were so, Neville would have ended up here."

A gasp came from Cherea, and Snape's eyes narrowed. "I suppose you think the stories that are going around are funny, Parkington," he said coldly.

Ginny gulped, laughter threatening to break from her as she shook her head violently, her eyes wide. "Mmm-mmm," she said through tightly closed lips. "I only heard it once and wouldn't let anyone tell it to me again, I swear it. And—" Ginny choked on her words and clapped her hand over her mouth.

Embarrassed and worried that Ginny'd get her in trouble, Cherea elbowed her cousin in the ribs, making her snort with laughter. "Estella!" hissed Cherea, "for Merlin's sake, come off it!"

"Five points from Gryffindor," Snape said nastily, and walked off.

"That's not even fair!" Ginny burst out, not laughing anymore as she turned to watch him stride off. "You mentioned it, and then Cherea elbowed me and made me laugh! Otherwise I wouldn't have!"

"And five from Ravenclaw," Snape added without turning around.

Cherea glared at Ginny and stormed off in the direction of the Slytherin Common Room. Stifling a groan, Ginny followed. When she entered the Common Room, the three Charleston girls looked up at her, frowning. Pansy winked at her and shot her a thumbs-up. "Hey, everyone," she called, drawing attention to herself by hopping up on the sofa, "Parkington lost Gryffindor points on the way here! Way to go, Estella!"

Applause for her echoed in the room, and she grinned slightly, still slightly annoyed with Snape. Megan grinned broadly and hissed (P), "What did you do?"

"Um, laughed at the thought of him in Neville Longbottom's grandmother's robes, hat, and handbag," Ginny answered truthfully in Parseltongue. "Didn't mean to, though. Cherea elbowed me in the side and I lost it. I lost her points for Ravenclaw too, when I protested that it wasn't my fault that I laughed."

Megan looked horrified. "How could you laugh at him?" she demanded. "All the Gryffindors find it amusing, and they're downright disrespectful about the entire situation! And last year, you wouldn't have protested points lost for Gryffindor! What's wrong with you?"

Corin raised an eyebrow at Estella, having understood every word. Estella shrugged at both of them. She couldn't explain to them about not wanting to disappoint Fred, George, and Percy, because the two Sages wouldn't understand.

Pansy waved Estella over to the three Charlestons and herself. "Well done, except for losing Ravenclaw points," Samantha said bluntly. "You could have kept your mouth shut."

Ginny's hands tightened into fists before she made herself relax. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "Okay? I really don't want Fred and George upset with me, and believe me, they'll probably find out who lost Gryffindor those five points eventually. Even if I don't care, I care that they care."

Pansy rolled her eyes, and Brianna frowned. "Come on," she said, standing and motioning to Pansy, Samantha, Cherea, and Estella to follow her. "We have some talking to do, and then the others will come on up."

Estella agreed and hurried after the Charleston twins. Once up in the twins' room, the girls all sat down, but Estella and Samantha sprawled out on the cold floor, receiving frowns of disdain from Pansy. "Get over yourself," Samantha told Pansy, tapping the toe of her shoe on the floor. "Go on, Brie."

"Okay," Brianna began. "We will be leaving for Pansy's house on Friday right after our last class. Only thing is, Megan will be joining us, because she's our first cousin through our mother—well, and through Dad, but Mum's relation is closer. Anyway, we do need to know when your last class on Friday is, Estella."

"Herbiology just after lunch," she replied. "Then I can go on Christmas break."

"Wonderful," Pansy said. "After your class gets out, bring your trunk down here so that we can leave quickly. We'll be going by Floo—and did you tell anyone that you were leaving?"

"Just Fred, George, and Percy," Estella replied. "They won't have a problem with it."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "You can't keep a secret, can you?"

"You don't know my brothers," Estella retorted. "They would have missed me!"

"They're _not_ your brothers," snapped Pansy.

"They're the closest thing to brothers that I've got," said Estella heatedly. "And they won't say a word about my being gone because they know that I can take care of myself!"

Pansy scowled. "Parkington, if you mess this up, you won't live to regret it."

Estella grinned and rolled over onto her back. "Yeah, and then I'll surely be missed," she said. "Fine. Whatever."

Samantha laughed, and Brianna grinned. "Well, you might live, but you'll be punished for spoiling our get-together."

"Anyway," Cherea interrupted, "we should really get our homework done so that we can get to bed at a decent time."

"Hark to the Ravenclaw," said Samantha cheerfully. "Everything is in order, and let the sleepover party begin."

"Starting with homework," groaned Brianna, pulling her books toward herself. "Oh, Pansy, could you drop the ward so that Megan and Guage can get in?"

Pansy raised her wand and dropped the ward, allowing Megan and Guage into the room. Megan glanced around and asked, "Why is everyone gathered here?"

Estella, Brianna, Samantha, and Pansy looked over at Megan, and Brianna answered, "We're talking about going home for Christmas."

"Ah," Megan grinned. "We're all going to Pansy's house?"

"Yes," Pansy sighed. "We're leaving as soon as Estella is free. She's just stuck here because of Herbiology."

Estella rolled her eyes and sat up. "I'm not stuck. I'm a student," she sighed. "Goodness." She reached for her book bag and pulled out one of her textbooks, beginning to work on one of her assignments.

Megan, spotting Cherea and grinning, sat down beside her. "Excellent," she said. "My Ravenclaw cousin."

"One of them," Guage reminded her, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, yes," Megan said, pulling out a Charms book. "I had a question about the _Adhere_ Charm."

"That's not a second-year spell," Pansy told her. "That's not even a third-year spell!"

Megan rolled her eyes and turned to Cherea. "You understand intelligence, don't you, Charleston?"

Cherea frowned at them and answered, "Yes, I do, but don't call me Charleston: there's way too many of us to be called all the same thing."

"Mum said the same thing," Brianna said with a grin.

Her cousin shrugged. "Just call me Cherea, or Cherry," she said. "There's at least seven of us Charlestons."

Megan shrugged herself and pointed out the difficulty she was having with the Charm again. Estella looked back down at her book, trying to get through her homework so that she could talk to her friends without worrying about not finishing her homework.

* * *

On Friday afternoon after Herbiology, Estella shrank her trunk and put it in her pocket, hurrying down to the Slytherin Common Room. Pansy, Megan, Cherea, and the twins were there with their trunks.

"Did you forget your trunk?" asked Pansy in disgust.

"No," sighed Estella, "it's in my pocket. I don't even have to hold it."

"Let's go!" Megan said excitedly. "We're going to have lots of fun!"

Pansy threw Floo powder onto the fire, stepped into it, said the words and whirled away through the Floo Network. The twins followed, then Cherea, and finally Megan and Estella.

When Estella stumbled out of the Floo, she saw Peony and smiled. "Hi!" squealed Peony, and she hurried over to her cousin, giving her a big hug. "I've missed you!"

Estella hugged her cousin, and Peony dragged her upstairs to her room, the other girls disappearing down the different halls as well. Peony grinned at her cousin. "Mum said that I could have you stay in my room, because I didn't think that you would want to stay in Pansy's room—or near her room, either."

"Yeah," Estella giggled. "How many people are staying here at your house?"

"I don't know," answered the younger girl. "All the parents of the girls you came with. I don't know who else is staying. There are a couple others coming here, though."

"Like who?" asked Ginny.

Peony just grinned and shrugged. "Can't tell you. Mum told me not to tell." Ginny rolled her eyes, and Peony continued, "If you get settled in, then we can go out to the garden. Grandmum is out there and she wants to see you again."

Tom seemed to awaken in Ginny's mind, and said, _Ginny, Love, you must be very careful what you tell her. You need to test her intent before telling her anything about your dealings with me or my cousin._

Estella nodded, agreeing with Peony and Tom at the same time. Setting her trunk on the bedroom floor, she enlarged it and opened it, beginning to arrange her things in the space that had been provided for her. Once she was finished, Peony grabbed her by the hand, and the two of them hurried out of the room, toward the garden.

The two girls stopped by the waterfall, but their grandmother wasn't there. After a few minutes, the two of them found her by the pool, and she smiled, greeting them. "Sit," she told Peony and Estella, patting the edge of the pool.

"Hi," Estella said, sitting down on one side of her grandmother as Peony sat down on the other.

Ramea looked sideways at Estella, then put her arm around her and gave her a small hug. "Are you all right?" she asked her granddaughter.

Estella nodded. "I'm just glad that I got to come here instead of going home."

"Oh, yes," Peony said. "I don't know how you stand those Weasleys. They're just so weird. They don't even think right!"

"Of course not," Ginny snorted. "Well, at least, most of them don't. The twins and Charlie do sort of, and Percy and Bill do more so."

"The woman and the youngest brat are not very understanding when it comes to us," Ramea said gently, looking at Estella's face. "But here we are speaking of those who raised you."

"I don't care, really," Ginny said, leaning her face against her grandmother's arm a little. "And Ron didn't raise me," she added, her eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"What about your dad?" Peony asked carefully.

Ramea frowned. "He's not her father," she said sharply, and Peony winced.

"Yes, grandmother," she said.

"He—he's nice," Ginny told Ramea softly, "but he can't do anything to stop Molly from whatever she thinks is right to do."

Peony shrugged. "Nothing can stop a mad ginger," she told Estella, and she snorted.

Ramea smiled, and both girls smiled back a little. "So the other girls have arrived?"

"Well, Megan, Pansy, Cherea, and the twins are here now," Ginny answered, "if that's what you mean."

"Estella, most of the girls' parents are coming," Ramea said. "In fact, they might be here in time for supper. We could go in and wait on them if you like."

Estella nodded, and the three jumped up, walking toward the house together. As they came to the waterfall, they found two adults. Ramea sent Peony on ahead to the house, but Ginny stayed with her.

The two adults turned from the waterfall and looked at Ramea and Estella. "Mum," said the woman, pulling back her hood slightly.

Ramea hugged her, and Estella realized in shock that the two were her parents! Meretta looked down at Estella, and Estella looked very uncomfortable. "Hi, Mum," she greeted the woman, standing there uncomfortably. She glanced at the man, who shook his hood off his head and stepped forward, hugging her.

"Estella," he said, "I'm glad that we get to see you again."

"Dad," she whispered, slightly more comfortable around her mother when she was in his arms. "Is it safe for you to be here?"

"As safe as it is for us to be anywhere," Reginald laughed softly. "We're wanted, darling. We just hope that the Aurors do not find out that we're here until supper is over."

Meretta laughed coldly. "We are ready for them. But I'm not expecting them to find us for a long while. We can always get away."

Estella looked up at her mother, and her father said reassuringly, "We'll be all right. They won't catch up with us today, and we'll be gone."

She hugged her father tightly, her parents talking with Ramea. Her father hugged her gently as he spoke to her grandmother.

The four of them finally went into the house and washed up for supper. As they entered the dining room, Peony and her mother looked up and smiled at them. The other girls' parents had not yet arrived.

Reginald patted his daughter's shoulder. "Go sit with your friends, Estella."

She obeyed, sitting down between Brianna and Cherea. "When are your parents going to arrive?" she asked the girls.

"Tomorrow," Megan answered for them. "About two or three in the afternoon: in time for Christmas."

Cherea smiled and nodded happily. "Mum and Dad are going to be at Megan's house for a little while before they come here."

"Oh, dear," Megan sighed. "Do you know what it was all about?"

"No," Cherea answered with a shrug. "It's not really my business—and I'd know if it was."

The twins just grinned, then turned to Ginny and asked, "Are you ready?"

Estella was confused. "What? Ready for what?"

Samantha rolled her eyes. "Don't you remember what we talked about helping you learn?"

She was puzzled for a moment, then remembered their discussion about the twins being Animagi. "Do your parents know?" she asked them.

"Nope!" Brianna said cheerfully. "We don't want them to know until you can back us up."

"Oh, you want them to blame me for your mischief," Estella teased them. "Ah, yes. And I brought Fred and George's polish."

"You brought _what_?" Pansy asked sharply from across the table. "We don't want  anything Weasley here!"

Estella glared at her and snapped, "Shut up, Pansy!"

Both Reginald and Meretta looked up at the sound of Estella's angry words. Peony looked like she wanted to hide, and Cherea and Megan appeared very uncomfortable.

"Why do you insist on claiming them?" Pansy demanded. "They shouldn't mean anything to you! They're not really your family, Estella!"

"I know that," Ginny hissed back at her cousin. "But I've grown up with them, and I love them! Most of them." She remembered Ron and made a face.

"Any of them, Estella," snapped Pansy.

Estella glared at her cousin. "Whatever you say, it won't matter, because I love them!"

Meretta's eyes flashed black, and she sat up straight. "Just remember that they are _not_ your brothers, Estella." Reginald placed a hand on his wife's knee, and she continued to scowl at her daughter.

"I _know_!" Ginny said, stomping her foot angrily. "Stop talking to me about it!"

Pansy opened her mouth to speak and Reginald said, "Pansy, hush." Pansy closed her mouth, both she and Meretta smirking at Ginny, who looked like she wanted to either curse them or cry.

When the food appeared, everyone ate, the adults talking together quietly. The girls did not talk to each other at all, Ginny glowering at Pansy across the table. After the meal, Megan and Cherea disappeared into the library, the Parkinson girls going somewhere else.

Brianna and Samantha grabbed Estella and hurried her upstairs to their room. "We only have about a week to teach you," Brianna said with a grin after putting up the Silencing Ward. "Do you want to start today, or tomorrow?"

"Don't you have that polish with you from the boys?" Samantha asked her cousin, sitting on her bed and grinning. "Can we test that?"

"Do you know how to use it, Ginny?" Brianna asked as Ginny raised her wand and Summoned the bottles from her room.

"You just put it on and depending on which kind you use, there are a couple things that you might have to do," Ginny replied with a shrug. "If Muggles do it, it can't be that hard."

The girls laughed as Ginny set the bottles on the nightstand beside Samantha's bed. "The one that says 'Fingers' on top is the one that shoots flame when you flick your fingers. The other one is the swish-and-flick one."

Samantha picked up the "Fingers" bottle and unscrewed the lid carefully. "Oh, there's a little brush attached to the lid!" she said in surprise.

"Yes," Ginny said. "Set the bottle down and use the brush to—"

"I know," Samantha answered. "I've seen." She began the job of painting her nails as Ginny picked up the other bottle and began to apply it to her fingernails.

Brianna watched, then took the brush from her sister and began her own nails. Samantha clicked two of her fingernails together, frowning. "How does this work?"

Ginny glanced at her and answered, "I think you have to flick your hands out as if you're actually going to do a wandless curse."

Samantha shrugged, then wiggled her fingers, turned her hands over and thrust them toward the opposite wall. Multi-coloured flames shot out from her under her fingernails, making all three girls stare in admiration and surprise. "Awesome!" she said. "What does yours do, Ginny?"

"Well," she began, then raised her wand, beginning to levitate something. Red flame shot out from under her fingernails, and she frowned. "That's not very exciting," she said in disappointment. "I'm going to talk to Fred and George about that. They need to make it do something else other than just spit red flame." Ginny began to remove the nail polish and reached for the "finger" polish.

"Ginny, we should begin teaching you," Samantha said, holding the polish away. "You can play with this later."

Ginny glared at her and _accio_ ed the bottle. "I am not a toddler that you could keep my own things from me," she told Samantha, scowling. She set the bottle down on the nightstand and frowned at the twins.

Brianna sighed. "Sorry, Stel. We're just really nervous about all this, and being here, especially because your parents are here."

Estella frowned, and Samantha interrupted before she could begin, "It's just that your mother will Curse us if we injure you in any way. And I didn't like it the last time she took it upon herself to punish us."

"Are you expecting her to punish you?" she asked her cousins.

"If you get stuck in your Animagi form, or if something happens and we have to take you to St. Mungo's so they can put you back together or together correctly again," Brianna explained. "Then she will. She's very protective of you behind your back."

"I'd never know," Ginny rolled her eyes.

Samantha grinned and took off her nail polish as well. "Well—" she began, and transformed, becoming a large, smoky black wolf.

"Oooh!" Estella said in surprise and awe, her eyes widening. Brianna did the same, but her Animagi form was a large black dog! "So, um," she began, unable to resist reaching out and burying her fingers in the wolf's soft fur. "Where do I start?"

Brianna popped back into her human form, grinning and brushing her hair back out of her face. "We thought that we would get you used to the change in the feeling of magic as we transform," Brianna explained. "You should also think a lot about what you want to become as you watch and feel us transform. Then, one of us could transfigure you so that you get the feeling of it."

"That's what we mean when we say that you might get stuck in your Animagi form," Samantha giggled, tripping as she transformed, and landing on the floor. "You won't be able to transform back very quickly, I don't think."

"Wonderful," Ginny sighed. "I wanted to miss all my classes next week."

Samantha rolled her eyes. "If you can't get out of your Animagi form, we're just going to leave you here and tell everyone that you were taken by the Chamber again."

Ginny stuck out her tongue at her cousin. "Whatever." She sat down on the floor between the twins and said, "Okay, I'm ready."

Brianna and Samantha came closer to their cousin and took turns transforming into their Animagi, allowing Estella to feel how the magic worked. Finally, Estella yawned and said, "That's quite a lot of transforming for one day."

"I could do this all day," boasted Samantha. "It's quite easy, after you get the hang of it."

"Yeah," Brianna said, stretching, "but that's just it: after you get the hang of it. Hey, let's go find Peony and go for a walk. If we're not going to stay up here, then I don't want to be around Pansy."

"True," chuckled Ginny. "After you, puppy."

Brianna growled and batted at her cousin playfully. "Just don't tell our parents. They don't know yet."

The three girls grinned at each other, then hurried away to find Peony. They checked in her room first, and found her standing in front of the mirror, a wand in her hand. "Um, whose is that?" Brianna asked her nine year old cousin.

"Pansy's," the girl replied. "She doesn't know I have it. And I'll put it back later."

"How'd you get it?" Samantha asked in surprise. "Without her knowing?"

"She left it in her room and I found it," Peony replied. "So anyway, what are you doing?"

Estella grinned and stepped closer. "We're going to go on a walk," she said. "You should come with us—and bring the wand."

Peony nodded after looking to the other girls for confirmation. "Let's go."

"Do we have to get permission?" Ginny asked, looking at Peony.

"No," said Samantha in surprise. "All we have to do is tell them that we're going for a walk and when we hope to get back."

Estella shook her head as they left the room. "Mum would have a fit if I did something like that to her."

"That woman is not your mother!" hissed a voice, and the twins and Peony jumped, melting back into the shadows. Meretta Parkington glared at her daughter. "Stop calling yourself a Weasley! You are a Parkington! You are my daughter! The child that I thought I had lost forever. You are not like the other purebloods, Estella."

"I can't—" Estella gulped nervously. "If I get in that habit, then I'll slip up and say it in front of my—in front of the others. I can't keep both of me separate good enough right now! When I can, I will, but right now, only Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George know that I know about my true family. I have to pretend. Mother."

"That may be," Meretta said sharply, "but I want you to be separate!"

"I am!" Estella snapped. "I already stand out from the Weasleys, and people have noticed. I am feared in Gryffindor—"

Meretta's eyes flashed red. "Do not even talk to me about the shame of your house," she hissed. "I do not want to hear about it."

 _Hisssusss!_ proclaimed Icythan, finally irritated enough to think his mistress's mother was worth eating.

 _No, Icythan,_ Ginny hissed quickly. _She does not understand._

Estella glared at her mother. "Given another chance, I wouldn't have chosen it either, but it's too late. I didn't know about you and Father."

Meretta opened her mouth to say something else, but shut it when a hand closed on her shoulder. She glanced up to see Reginald by her side. "Scolding her again?" he asked softly. Meretta's face seemed to turn a little red, and she didn't reply.

"Get on with you," he told Estella. "Wherever you and the girls are going. Be safe." She nodded and hurried off without another word.

The dark-haired witch whirled on her husband, eyes still flashing. "Why do you always interfere!"

Reginald's hand slid from her arm as he looked at her for a moment. "She is not used to normal ways of discipline, Meretta. She will grow to fear you, if not to hate you, if you are not careful. I do not know how she would react to whatever you might scream at her. She is not used to pureblood mania like we are, and if you try to press it on her, she will reject it fiercely."

"So what do I do?" Meretta snapped. "Just let everything go? Reg, she stills claims those Weasleys!"

"Perhaps you should let Hogwarts do what it's supposed to," Reginald said softly. "Let her learn through the Slytherins that she is now contacting. They will be great teachers to show her her place, Meretta."

"Fine," said Meretta, spitting out the word.

"And also," the man continued, making his wife scowl, "whatever happens, and no matter how furious she makes you, do not use _Crucio_ on her."

Meretta glared. "Reginald Parkington!"

He stared straight into her eyes. "I mean it, Meretta. She has a serpent on her: I heard it hissing when I walked up. If you anger it when she is unconscious, it will protect her, and I have no doubt that it is venomous. I'm not sure if she'd take the time to make sure you lived, either. Especially if you used an Unforgivable on her."

"That's all? Because she carries a serpent?"

"A serpent that wanted to kill you simply because you were yelling at his mistress," Reginald replied. "She has a lot of control over him: it's fairly excellent, and no one even taught her how to relate to serpents. I would really like to see how she does with them."

Meretta merely turned and walked away, leaving her husband to sigh and shake his head.


	24. Trade Agreements and Cousin Arguments

Estella caught up to the twins and Peony at the front door. The twins turned to her and asked in unison, "What did she want?"

"To scold me," Estella answered. "Never mind her. What did your parents say, Peony?"

"It's okay for us to be out for two or three hours," Peony replied. "Let's get out of here before Pansy realizes that I have her wand."

Giggling, the girls left the house, hurrying to walk a little way away. They turned down another street and found several small shops. "Don't you shop in Diagon?" Estella asked Peony.

Peony shrugged. "If it's not here," she said. "But our school things come from Diagon Alley."

The girls walked down the street and stepped into a small apothecary, looking around. "You know," Brianna said, "we should modify that fingernail polish and give it back to them."

"Yeah," agreed Samantha, grinning. "We could make it do the rainbow colours instead. That'd be more interesting than plain old red! Let's see: Brie, do we need any more ingredients for this year?"

"I don't," Brianna replied. "Estella?"

"Not really," Ginny answered. "I'll just look around." Peony came with Ginny, catching a slight smile and nod from the clerk. "Do they know your family well?" Ginny asked her cousin.

"Yes," Peony answered. "Mum and Dad are personal friends of the shop owner. Anyway, he trusts us to come here alone. He knows Brianna and Samantha too, but he probably doesn't recognize you."

Estella grinned, looking at a tiny vial of something that appeared to shimmer and ooze. "Ah, what is that?"

Peony peered at the label. "Some sort of snake venom."

 _Serpents alone have venom!_ hissed Icythan.

"Only serpents are venomous, Peony," Estella corrected. "Wow... _Divinus Animus_ venom. I really have no idea what that even is."

"It is a very expensive potion ingredient," said a voice, and Estella looked up to see the clerk standing close to them. "Hard to collect, because it is deadly if it is not willingly given by a living _Divinus Animus_."

 _Yesss,_ said Icythan. _Rare indeed. But not ssso rare asss basilisk venom._

The clerk seemed a little surprised, then leaned closer and said, "You have a snake with you, friend of the Parkinsons?"

"He is a serpent," Estella said indignantly. "And I am Peony's cousin, Estella."

"Very good," said the clerk smoothly. "May I see this...serpent?"

Icythan poked his head out of the sleeve of Ginny's robe. _Ssstrange place,_ he hissed. _Many ssstrange thingsss. Many dark thingsss, like in the firssst nessst._

Without thinking, Ginny asked the serpent, _What firssst nessst?_

The clerk jumped in surprise. "You're a Parselmouth!"

"Yes," she replied, hissing her letter _s_.

 _The nessst of my old missstress and massster,_ the serpent replied. _Before the bitematesss were even eggsss. Massster and Missstress had to flee and left the eggsss in the tomb, but Tabashi told usss of the home. It wasss sssafe enough for usss in the tombsss, but we preferred the home. It wasss warm, and there wasss much hisssusss._

The clerk seemed to be thinking very quickly. "What kind of serpent do you have?" he asked. "Perhaps we could make some sort of deal..."

Estella stroked her serpent gently, eyeing the man distrustfully. "What do you have in mind?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"Perhaps if he is a rare species, we may be able to make a deal," he said quietly. "Concerning galleons, and potions ingredients."

"He is a basilisk," Ginny said unconcernedly. "The non-fatal eyes kind."

Peony gaped at her, and the man seemed speechless for several moments. "Well," he said after a moment, "if your serpent and you would consent, perhaps we could trade venom and potions ingredients. You need some for school, don't you?"

Estella thought fast about what she ingredients she had the least of. She then recalled that her brothers might need some, and immediately called to Percy ©, "Percy, I'm at an apothecary: are there any items you need for Potions?"

"Ginny?" Percy asked in surprise ©. His voice seemed far away, and Ginny struggled to understand his voice in her head. "What on earth?"

"Percy, this is like mind communication," Ginny tried to explain quickly. "I'm with Peony, Brianna, and Samantha in an apothecary shop at the moment. Do you need any Potions ingredients? And do you know if Fred and George need any?"

"I don't know about them," Percy's voice came faintly, "but..." and he listed off some of the ingredients he needed.

Ginny repeated them to herself in Parseltongue, and Icythan asked, _Missstress will allow it, then? I will give of my venom for missstress._

"We will do it," Estella said quietly. She listed off the things that Percy had told her he needed and allowed Icythan to slither onto the counter. _How is venom collected?_ she asked Icythan.

The man seemed to know what she was wondering and set a small glass bottle with a rubber stopper in the top on the counter. "If your serpent will be so kind as to strike that stopper," he said, "it will harvest the venom to fill that bottle."

Icythan didn't hesitate, but lunged forward and struck the stopper, hissing. Venom, greenish yellow and white began to drain into the bottle as Estella and Peony watched, transfixed. After the bottle was filled, Icythan withdrew from it, and eyed it for a moment before slithering beneath Ginny's sleeve again.

The man Summoned the ingredients that Estella had told him she needed, and said, "That's not very much."

She shrugged slightly. "I might be back," she said.

"You should pay her in galleons unless she comes back for ingredients," Peony suggested, and Estella looked at her, surprised. She hadn't expected to get payment out of the deal!

 _Yesss,_ hissed Icythan contentedly. _My old missstress and massster alssso did tradesss, yesss, and sssold venom._

"Yes, I think you should have some payment," the man said, counting out coins with his wand. "I wouldn't want it to be said that I cheated Estella Parkington out of what was due her. I don't think your mother would appreciate it."

"I could care less what she appreciates," Ginny said flatly, her eyes darkening for a moment. "And I'd appreciate it if she never learned about this."

"Done," the man agreed, and Estella smiled slightly, picking up the sack he pushed across the counter toward her. "Thank you for your business."

Estella nodded as Peony lifted the bag of potions ingredients and turned to leave. She followed her younger cousin out of the shop, the twins joining them on their way out.

"I thought you said you didn't need any ingredients," Brianna said, elbowing her cousin in the ribs. "What's all this?"

"It's for my brothers," Ginny said flatly. "And maybe I'll make Fred and George trade for what they need. Wheezes, you know."

"Just don't tell your mother that you got them for your brothers," Samantha said, linking arms with Ginny. "Meretta won't like it. She doesn't like the Weasleys much."

Estella scowled. "She was the one who left me to the Aurors, the Ministry, and the orphanage," she said in a low voice. "I don't remember the orphanage; all I remember is being a Weasley, and some strange things that didn't make—"

Her face screwed up, as if she were trying to remember something, and Icythan began to hiss excitedly. "What is it?" Peony asked her curiously. "What do you remember?"

"She did," Ginny breathed, recalling something, as though through a fog. "Meretta did hand me over to the Weasleys. The woman at the orphanage—she told me that there was a family coming to take me away and make me their daughter and sister. She said that they were a bad, horrible family, and that I was to cause trouble for them."

The twins stared at Estella, shocked. "And you remember this now?"

Estella looked nervous. "There are all sorts of little things that seem possible," she said. "But I don't know—it's like they've been—well of course!" She looked at the twins. "My Memory Charm broke when I played Quit, and—now I remember the past that was always hidden! Snatches of scenes at the orphanage, and Meretta—my mother taking care of me in the orphanage. She met the Weasleys herself, and gave me to them."

"But—but—!" sputtered Peony. "They didn't recognize her? Why didn't the orphanage people do anything about Meretta being there if it really was her?"

"I don't think they knew," Ginny said, rubbing her temple wearily. "She must have Confounded them or something. But she had instructed me to pretend that I didn't know her unless we were alone."

"So you _do_ remember some of your time before the Weasleys," Brianna said softly. "No wonder the Weasley woman was displeased with you."

Ginny nodded. "This summer, Bill and Charlie told me that I used to brag about my real parents. Now I know what I used to do," she grinned as they walked up the steps and through the back door into the house. "I used to do all sorts of spiteful things to Ron to hurt him and annoy him. Oh, I was a horrible child when I first went to the Burrow."

"That was only your two-year-old self," Peony shrugged.

"My two-year-old self delighted in making Ron's life miserable," Estella said flatly, her eyes betraying a twinkle. "I would curse him, wandlessly. It infuriated Molly, who was afraid of me whenever it happened. She'd just find Ron screaming somewhere, and know that I had been on the rage again."

"My two-year-old self was an Auror troll," Samantha said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Estella snorted. "Your twelve-year-old self _is_ an Auror troll," she said.

Brianna discretely gave her twin a sharp look, and Samantha merely grinned. "So you tortured your brother?" she asked Ginny.

Ginny shrugged and headed for her and Peony's room. Her aunt came out of the room as she and Peony came down the hall toward the door. "Estella," Reyallia said softly, "your father wishes to speak with you. He is in the garden, walking through the part that you have to enter through the archway."

"Oh." Estella put her things down in Peony's room, hearing her aunt add to Peony, "Pansy would like her wand back. She is not pleased with you." Quickly, Ginny hurried out of the room and through the halls back into the garden.

Estella walked through the garden, searching for the archway that Reyallia had told her about. She had not thoroughly explored the garden at the house, having been there once before the holidays. She walked quickly along the paths until she saw an overgrown archway on the left side of the path.

She stood there a moment, then reached out and touched the arch carefully. The overgrowth sprang back, and Estella bit her lip slightly as she stepped through the archway.

Reginald Parkington was standing with his back to her, facing a dirt path. "Essstella," he hissed softly, without turning around. "Walk with me."

Estella joined her father as he headed toward the dirt path. "You wished to ssspeak with me, Father?" she said in Parseltongue.

"How long have you known you were a Parssselmouth?" Reginald asked her. "And how did you find out?"

"For about two and a half yearsss," replied Estella. "I wasss in the garden, and met a sssnake, and it wasss that I learned that I wasss a Parssselmouth."

"And you learned on your own how to treat ssserpentsss?" Reginald questioned his daughter.

Estella jumped slightly in alarm as Tom broke into her thoughts, warning her against telling her father about him. "Um," she stuttered, trying to think of what to say.

Reginald stopped suddenly. "Or did the Dark Lord teach you last year?"

The dark-haired girl turned to her father. "No," she said quickly. "Well, um—" _Shut up, Tom!_ she snapped at him. _I can't think with you yelling in my ear!_ "Well, kind of. He had a little to do with it, but I learned most of it from—from—" she could not finish.

"Who?" Reginald asked persistently. "I want to know that you were taught properly."

"I was," Ginny said stubbornly, forgetting to speak in Parseltongue. "The Dark Lord knew the one who taught me, although it was not the Dark Lord himself I learned from."

"Are you going to tell me who taught you?" the man asked, a slight smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

Estella shook her head. "Promised I wouldn't," she said. "But I know I was trained properly."

Reginald nodded. "We were informed that you had learned a curse from the Dark Lord—and performed it on one of the Slytherin prefects during Search and Curse. Did you indeed?"

"Oh, yes," Estella grinned. "I only learned it because he used it on me." She scowled for a moment at an unsuspecting butterfly, then looked up at her father again. "I used it on Rishka because she had taken it upon herself to Cruciate me. And now she hates me even more." She laughed. "But I think it'll be all right. She's kind of afraid of me, too."

"I see," Reginald grinned. "Did you know it was a Dark curse when you performed it?"

"Yes," Estella replied, her jaw set firmly. "But I did it, knowing that it would probably get her to stop using the Cruciatus on me. I mean, I only traded pain for pain. And _Afflictio_ isn't illegal."

Reginald laughed heartily. "Magic should not be illegal," he said. "It's who we are. We shouldn't have to hide our true selves."

"Only when your true self hurts others," Ginny responded quietly. "When magic is used to hurt and bind others, it must be regulated."

"I see," said Reginald again. "You agree that some magic should be off limits to us—the ones who live and breathe magic."

"I think we should use it, not abuse it," Ginny replied stubbornly. "There is a difference. I do wonder why we would need to use _Crucio_ to get information from people. And we shouldn't allow ourselves to control someone else by _Imperio_ , or take their life from them by _Avada_. But some people don't think that way, so there are rules that have to be made and kept."

"You've been taught very well," Reginald told her.

Estella sighed. "If people didn't find such things needful, or like doing things like that, then we wouldn't have to have the laws," she explained, although she knew that he should already know what she was saying. "But no matter what laws are made, there will always be someone to break them: Azkaban is full of that sort of evidence."

Reginald looked into his daughter's eyes. "Would you send me there?"

She drew back from him. "You shouldn't ask me that question, Father." She wanted to reassure him that she wouldn't, but at the same time, she hated the fact that her real father killed and tortured and did all sorts of Dark, horrible things. Even though she bragged about her real parents to the four older Weasley boys, she knew that she mostly disapproved of what they had done.

"What would you do?" he asked her, pulling up his left sleeve.

"Father—" she gulped and stared at him.

"I think you'd send your mother there." Her face burned, and Reginald smirked a little, kindly. "You don't appreciate her much, I know."

Estella scowled. "She's evil! And she doesn't care! And you don't either, but she flaunts it!" Reginald just looked at her, and the girl continued. "I don't really know what all you and mother have done, and I'd rather not know. But I know that she seems about the most evil woman I've ever met."

He nodded sympathetically. "She doesn't know how to deal with you." Ginny looked outraged, and he held up his hands. "You're not like her very much at all," he told her. "I've warned her that you're wary of her: I could see it, every time she talked to you. You tense as if you think she's going to Curse you."

"She will," Estella said. "If I keep provoking her."

"Don't try to," Reginald warned. "It's quite easy, if you know how to do it. Anyway, she hasn't seen you but twice since we left you to the Weasleys, and I know for a fact that she was quite upset when we left the first time. By the way, what happened in the warehouse after your mother and I left?"

"The others left and the Aurors came," Ginny replied, relieved at her father's obvious change of subject. "They thought I was Meretta, but Nymphadora told them off."

"What?" Reginald looked shocked. "Who?"

"Oh." Ginny lowered her gaze to the grass and stones beneath her feet, beginning to walk on. "Nymphadora Tonks. Um, she became an Auror just recently, and I met her for the first time, there in Knockturn Alley. I didn't even know who she was, and now—now I do."

Reginald frowned. "Did you tell anyone else about meeting her?"

"Only the girls," Ginny shrugged. "And they warned me not to mention it. I haven't. I was embarrassed about meeting her by the time the girls had finished explaining to me that I should not speak about or to her, and who she was."

"Ah." Reginald smiled again. "Very good, Estella. You know why we do not speak of her and her family?"

"Yes," Ginny said. "But I'm—" she had been going to say that Nymphadora seemed to have taken an interest in her, but stopped. The Metamorphagus Auror had known both her identities, and had warned her very carefully that others might find her out. Ginny did not want to tell her father and put the young woman in danger. "Yes, I know." She drew a deep breath and looked up into her father's eyes.

He slipped his arm around her shoulders and walked with her until they exited from the archway again. "We may not be able to see you again for a little while," he said. "Perhaps not until next Christmas. It is very hard to move undercover with all the little Aurors running about."

She smiled up at him as they walked into the house together. She spotted her mother watching them and half melted into her father's side. He gave her a gentle squeeze, and led her into the dining hall, where the others were gathering for an evening snack.

Estella escaped to sit beside her cousins and breathed a sigh of relief when there was a girl seated on either side of her. "What did your dad want?" Peony asked her.

"To talk about being a Parselmouth and things," Estella answered. "He's a lot nicer than Meretta, that's for certain. But I don't know if he's trying to challenge my reasoning or change my mind when we talk about different things."

"Probably both," Samantha answered. "They're bound to do that: try to bring you around to their point of view."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "I've noticed."

Peony grinned excitedly. "Tomorrow is Christmas!" she said. "Then the adults will be leaving here and there. The twins' parents will be staying over tomorrow night."

"Say," Brianna said to Peony as Megan and Pansy entered the room and quickly sat down. "Did you ever give Pansy's wand back?"

"Yeah," Peony sighed. "She said she was going to curse me. Oh, well."

"And you don't have a wand," Ginny realized. "That's not fair of her. Oh, but you're too young for a wand."

Megan's head turned. "Too young? Estella, a witch is never too young for a wand. This is _who we are_ ," she scolded.

Pansy looked over at her little sister and without warning, whipped a curse across the table at her. Peony shrieked and ducked as Ginny hollered and raised her hands to block the spell."

"Wandless," came Meretta's cool voice. "My, aren't we good."

"You always interfere," grumbled Pansy.

"Just be thankful that she didn't retaliate," Brianna retorted.

Pansy scowled. "What's wrong, Estella? Afraid?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Of you? Not hardly. I protect as long as it's needed, and if you persist, then I fight."

The girls quieted down, Pansy still looking annoyed, as the house elves brought the food in and stood by to serve. Ginny watched her cousins to see how they did it, overwhelmed by the showiness and splendor of their family. She didn't much remember house elves being at the Charleston house and didn't know how to deal with them, the Weasleys not having owned any.

After a little while of watching her cousins have the house elves serve them, Ginny motioned to one and quietly had him serve her, feeling like an idiot. _Tom_ , she complained as she picked up her fork and began to eat as the house elf retreated. _I feel so lazy allowing the house elves to serve me like that! It's as if I feel that I'm too good to serve even myself! I don't like it._

Tom was slightly amused, but replied, _Then don't let them serve you. You can serve yourself—although I'd suggest you do it when your mother—and perhaps your father—aren't around. Get your cousins and their family used to your independence first._

 _Right,_ Ginny sighed. _I just cannot grasp how people can constantly live like this._

 _But I do warn you that if those house elves know who you are, they will be insulted if they are not allowed to serve you_ , Tom told her.

 _Drat,_ said Ginny in annoyance. _So what do I do?_

 _Just learn how to deal with the elves,_ Tom advised her. _I don't think you truly understand them because you haven't been around them at all. I haven't been around them since I was at school._

Ginny took a drink of butterbeer and answered Tom, _Could you tell me about house elves, then?_

Tom laughed to himself, the sound reverberating in the Chamber. _Ask one of your cousins. But I will tell you that the loyalty and service of a house elf is of inestimable value. I cannot explain it all, but house elves are bound to keep the secrets of the family they serve. Those house elves by you will never reveal that your parents have been there. In fact, they will do what they can to ensure that no one finds out, in order to protect their own family from repercussions._

 _Oh_. Ginny glanced down the table at her mother and father, then looked across the table at one of the elves. _Maybe I understand a little bit now. I thought I knew these things, but I don't._

 _Hermione could explain it to you—_

 _Tom Marvolo Riddle!_ Ginny shouted at him in horror. _I am not asking her about house elves! That'd be absolutely embarrassing, and she'd probably want to know why I was going on about house elves!_

Tom was amused. _I understand, Estella. I'm just teasing. I know you probably wouldn't even go to her to ask where the bathrooms were._

 _Tom, it's because of you that I know where all the bathrooms are!_

Laughing, Tom said, _Ginny, that's just awkward._

Ginny bit her lip discretely to keep herself from growling or laughing, and finished eating. Minutes later, the adults shooed the girls off to their rooms after telling them what time they were to be at breakfast.

Peony motioned Estella to come with her, but the twins took her by the arms and shook their heads at their younger cousin. "Brie!" pouted Peony in annoyance, and Samantha merely shrugged at the girl.

Pansy rolled her eyes at her little sister and disappeared down the hall. Megan and Cherea followed Ginny and the twins, motioning Peony to come along. "What are you doing?" the girls asked the twins and Ginny. "You've been in here, or gone for most of the time that we've been here at the house!"

The twins glanced at each other, then at Ginny, and replied, "We're attempting to learn to be Animagi."

"Attempting?" Megan asked disdainfully. In an instant, she was gone, and a small ginger cat sat where Megan had stood.

"Oh," said Ginny, blinking. "You look like Crookshanks."

"Like whom?" Cherea questioned curiously as Megan transformed back.

"Granger's cat," Brianna replied quickly before Ginny could say anything.

Samantha just rolled her eyes. "You're an Animagus and we didn't even know."

Megan grinned. "Well, it's not like I'm going to walk around telling everyone. Obviously I'm an illegal Animagus, and I'm not the only one. Millicent is a cat Animagus as well, and there are a few others, although I don't know what their Animagi are."

"How long have you been an Animagus?" Peony asked her cousin.

"Three or four years," shrugged Megan. "Ever since I was eight years old."

Estella raised her eyebrows and the twins grinned. "We became Animagi about six months ago."

Cherea nodded. "So, you're really trying to teach Estella."

Samantha looked at Cherea and answered, "Yes."

"Well, if so many of us are Animagi already," Megan began slowly, "then why don't you teach Cherea and Peony as well?"

"Oh. Ah—" the twins looked at each other. "Um, well, it was really just between Ginny and us."

"And I really don't know if I want to be an Animagus," Cherea added.

"But then, there could be a whole band of us!" Peony said excitedly. "Think of it, girls!"

"Then I'll teach them," Megan sighed, rolling her eyes. "Or just Peony, if Cherea doesn't want to."

Cherea sighed. "I'm taking special lessons with Professor McGonagall to become an Animagus," she explained. "I didn't want anyone to know. Professor McGonagall is a cat Animagus, but I'm not going to be. I think I'm going to be a larger four legged animal, but I'm not completely sure yet."

Megan looked scandalized. "You're taking lessons from _her_?" she said in shock. "But—but—that means you'll be registered!"

Cherea scowled at her cousin. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"But—but—you—" Megan couldn't find words to express her thoughts.

"She's not a Slytherin," Estella said with a shrug. "She can register if she wants."

"You're a Gryffindor, and you're still not registering!" snapped Megan.

Estella frowned. "No, but remember, I should be a Slytherin."

Peony glared at Megan. "So should Cherea. But really, it is her own choice whether to register or not."

"No, I shouldn't be a Slytherin," argued Cherea. "I chose Ravenclaw!"

"Why would you do that?" demanded Peony. "Our families have been in Slytherin for generations!"

"Because I love learning," answered Cherea, biting her lip.

Megan rolled her eyes again. "Guage likes to learn and _she's_ still a Slytherin."

Cherea's eyes narrowed. "I'm not Guage. And I didn't relish the idea of getting a bad rap the instant the Sorting Hat shouted the name of my house."

"Coward," Samantha said flatly.

"Stop it!" shouted Ginny, her hair suddenly flashing red before she could stop it. "Stop it right now! I won't have any discriminatory speech destroying our friendships!"

"Did the Sorting Hat just automatically put you in Gryffindor too?" Megan demanded. "Or did you sort yourself there?"

"I chose Gryffindor because I was too afraid of what the Weasleys would say otherwise," Ginny said coldly. "If I had known that my true family would have backed me up, then I would be a Slytherin as well. We don't need anymore family squabbles, Megan."

Megan opened her mouth, her eyes sparking, and Ginny snapped, "Just be thankful Cherea chose Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor or Hufflepuff."

Glaring, Megan growled, "And what then should we think of you?"

"I said _shut up_!" hissed Ginny, and felt magic crackle in her hands, wanting to be released. She clenched her fists over the magic, and glared at Megan and Samantha fiercely.

The girls all shifted nervously, the twins with eyes wide. Megan looked shocked and a little frightened. As fast as she could, she scuttled out of the room, and Samantha hurried after her. Brianna looked at Ginny, swallowed hard, then headed out of the room after her twin and Megan.

Cherea was at a loss for words, and Peony was biting her lip, looking from cousin to cousin. "Sorry," Ginny whispered. "I think I'll go to bed." Ginny hurried out of the room and down the stairs, fighting back tears.

 _Tom,_ she sobbed in her mind. _Tom, why is this happening to me? I didn't mean to lose my temper with them! I didn't want them to yell at Cherea. She's just so sweet, and—it's not fair to her!_

 _Ginny,_ Tom began, but just then, Ginny ran into someone standing near the bottom of the stairs.

Ginny jumped back, giving a little cry, and backing against the wall as one of the lamps on the opposite wall shattered. "What's wrong, child?" asked the woman, and Ginny realized that it was Ramea Black, her grandmother, that was standing there.

"N—nothing," Ginny gulped, looking up at her.

"I see," said the woman quietly. "Would you like to take a cup of tea with me before you go to bed?"

Wordlessly, Ginny nodded, and Ramea waved her hand, fixing the lamp, before motioning the redhead to follow her. Ginny followed the woman to her room, then walked inside, wondering if the "No Children Allowed" sign actually meant anything.

Ginny looked around the room, which was spotless, warm, and comfortable. She realized that the inside of the room was quite a bit larger than the outside, and that it was really a small apartment.

A house elf stood at the doorway further into the apartment, and Ramea turned to it. "Masillon," she said to it. "Bring us two cups of tea. Make mine as usual, and—Estella, dear, how would you like yours?"

"Mint with four sugar cubes," Ginny said timidly.

"Yes, Mistress," said the elf, and with a pop, he was gone.

"I'm sorry I broke the lamp," Ginny blurted out when the elf had gone.

Ramea smiled and motioned Ginny to be seated at the small table in the next room. "Estella, I know that your magic probably got away from you after everything that your mother and father said to you today. I don't know everything, but I picked up bits and pieces from Meretta. She modified the story, I know. Are the twins and Megan all right? They looked a bit scared and angry when they came down the stairs—and Samantha cracked the door to the dining room with her magic."

Ginny's eyes widened. "I didn't mean to upset them," she whispered, biting her lip. "We were all upstairs arguing, except for Pansy, who wasn't there. I yelled at them, and almost cursed them, but I kept it back. But then, Megan and the twins looked scared and upset, and ran out. I don't know why they did it. All I did was tell them not to call Cherea names because she isn't a Slytherin!"

"Did your magic crackle?" Ramea asked softly.

"Yes, but I kept it back!" Ginny protested.

"Crackling magic is often perceived as a threat," Ramea told her granddaughter. "If you had been scolding them, they may have thought that you were going to hurt them if they did not comply with what you wanted."

Ginny's mouth dropped open. "I wouldn't do that!"

Ramea sighed. "I don't know if you know, but the twins had a very traumatic childhood. They do not take well to being threatened. And as for Megan, she is very strong-willed, and she doesn't like being ordered around."

"I wasn't threatening them!" protested Ginny as the house elf reappeared, set down the drinks, and left again.

"I said _if_ they thought you were, dear," Ramea said gently. "I wasn't accusing. I do appreciate your trying to keep the peace. One of the portraits told me what had happened."

Ginny stared. "You use portraits to spy around the house?"

Ramea smiled slightly. "Not spy, no," she replied. "Not in my own house. To make sure that the girls aren't getting ready to set the house on fire or something. But the portraits have been very interested in you, because they know your mother."

"I don't want to talk about her," Ginny said shortly.

"I'm sure you don't," mused Ramea. "I won't make you. The portraits merely told me that there had been a fight upstairs and that some of the girls were upset. I was watching the stairs when the four of you came down. The twins and Megan don't know me, but I figured you would be better prepared to sit down and talk."

"Yes," Ginny spat. "I'm the troublemaker."

"I didn't mean it that way," Ramea said quickly. "They don't talk, and you do."

Ginny covered her face with her hands. "No. No. I didn't mean to upset them, and I didn't—didn't mean to threaten them. I was only trying to get them to leave Cherea alone—they called her a coward—she's not—" Ginny choked on her words and fell silent.

Ramea was silent for a moment, then added, as if it were an afterthought, "Then they turned on you."

Ginny looked up, tears in her eyes. Dashing them away angrily, she said, "It doesn't matter. It wasn't about me, anyway. I know the truth about why I am what I am, and it's not anything they or I can change! I don't care what they say!"

"You do have a load of Gryffindor in you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" snapped Ginny. "It's not my fault I got shipped off to live with a bunch of gingers!"

"I think you can unlearn it," Ramea told her casually. "But it might take a while. Perhaps you should think of how much of you is really you." Ginny looked up at her grandmother, who smiled kindly and pointed to the tea. "Drink it while it is hot," she said. "It does smell very good."

Ginny drank. When she was finished with the tea, she stood. "Thanks," she said quietly. "I think I'll go to bed now."

"Goodnight, dear," Ramea told her, standing to give the girl a hug.

"Goodnight," Ginny replied, and hurried out of the apartment, down the hall to Peony's room. As she stepped into the room, she saw Peony dive behind her bed as Brianna turned around, standing in front of Samantha. Her heart pounded, knowing she could not take on both twins if they happened to want to curse her for her earlier rant.

"Stel," Brianna began awkwardly, "about what happened earlier—"

"I'm still not sorry," Samantha snapped, glaring through her twin at Ginny. "I'd Curse you if Brianna would let me."

Ginny looked at the two of them. _I will not apologize,_ she promised herself. _I believe everything I said, and I'm not changing it._ "I wasn't threatening you," Ginny tried to console her cousins. "The magic—it just jumped to my hands—but I stopped it."

Peony peeked over the edge of her bed to see Samantha scowling at Ginny. "Now that we know where everyone stands on the House issue," Peony began timidly, "can we just drop the subject? I'm tired and I want to go to bed."

The twins ignored her. "I know you stopped it," Brianna said loudly, interrupting her twin. "That was probably a very good thing. You have no idea what could have happened up there."

"I'm sorry I caused problems," Ginny said. "I heard that a door got cracked. I shattered a lamp moments afterward."

"Cracked?" laughed Samantha strangely. "I shattered it like a Reductor Curse!"

"Yes, well, I know this is really awkward and horrible of us," Brianna said, looking back at Samantha carefully, "but I need to ask you a favour, Ginny."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

Brianna sighed. "I know you can apparate. Could you take us to Hogsmeade tomorrow night? There's something important we have to do."

Frowning, Ginny asked, "Are you going back into Hogwarts?"

"Yes, and then we'll be returning here," Brianna answered, glancing at Samantha worriedly.

"I don't want to go, but she's forcing me," Samantha volunteered, staring up at the ceiling calmly. "And anyway, I think you might find the trip enlightening."

"Wonderful," Ginny said. "Yeah, I guess maybe. Okay."

"Great," Brianna breathed a sigh of relief and Samantha jumped up off the bed. "Goodnight," Brianna said after Samantha had left. "By the way, Samantha's under the Imperius. Be careful not to cross her. You seem to distract her from following my orders."

Ginny stared at the door after the twins had left, shocked at Brianna's words. "Imperius?" she whimpered. "And I caused that?"

Peony climbed up and sat down cross-legged on her bed. "That's what we do whenever Samantha gets a little out of control. It's not out of the ordinary."

"But the Imperius is illegal!" protested Ginny.

"The Aurors caused Samantha's problems," Peony said pointedly, shrugging. "I'm not about to tattle on our family to them. If we don't keep Samantha under control, they'll lock her up in St. Mungo's, and we don't want that at all. And her parents refuse to modify her memory, so her problem just continues."

"But what is her problem?" asked Ginny. "Besides her being traumatized by Aurors or something."

Peony looked at her, mouth tightly closed, then shrugged. "Ask them. Only the twins are allowed to tell their past. The rest of us cannot tell."

Sighing, Ginny dressed for bed and went to sleep.


	25. Cat Fights

In the morning, Pansy woke them by bursting into the room and levitating them unceremoniously out of bed. "Parkinson!" shrieked Ginny, upside-down, and aimed a curse at her cousin.

Pansy yelped and ducked out of the room, allowing the two to crash to the ground. Peony stretched and yawned, rolling over on the floor. "She always does that."

"She doesn't do it to _me!_ " Ginny said, incensed. Grabbing her wand off the nightstand, she dashed out the door after her other cousin. She whizzed past Megan and Cherea in the doorway to the dining room, pursuing Pansy along the corridor.

"I didn't hurt you!" Pansy shouted back at her, darting into the library.

"No?" Ginny answered, following her into the room. Her curse missed Pansy as the older girl dived out of the way, allowing the curse to hit a bookshelf and splinter it, books flying everywhere. "I will not be awaken every morning by being levitated out of bed! That's what my roommates at school do to me. Did you hear that, Pansy? My roommates!"

"How dare you?" growled Pansy, flinging a jinx across the room.

"Well, they do!" shouted Ginny, blocking the jinx and diving out of the way of another one. " **Vermus Nez! Vermus Nez!** "

Pansy jumped out of the way of the first hex—and ran straight into the second one. She fell to the ground, shrieking as the hex began to work, and Ginny fled from the room. The redhead dashed down the hall to the dining room, making sure to stow her wand in her waistband for a fast draw if it was needed.

Her uncle looked down at her the instant she walked into the dining hall. "Did you curse her?" he asked.

"Hexed," Ginny answered, her hair swinging in front of her face. "A simple _Finite Incantatem_ will put her to rights, but she's too busy caterwauling to think about that."

"What did she do?"

"Levitated me out of bed," Ginny said indignantly. "My dorm mates do that to me, and she shouldn't."

"And you chased her, and that's why you're still in your nightgown?" Larosil asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ginny looked down at her clothes, then up at her uncle and shrugged. "Do you want me to go change?" she asked, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

Giggling, Cherea pointed her wand at Ginny and transfigured her nightgown into a robe. Larosil grinned in amusement at Ginny and Cherea. "Perhaps you should retain black hair—" he began, but was interrupted as the door banged open.

Meretta swept into the room, her hair hanging down in long dark locks around her face. She looked joyously thrilled, and Ginny gazed upon her biological mother's face, surprised at how beautiful the witch really was. When her eyes fixed on her daughter, they narrowed, and her lips tightened. She stalked over to Ginny, hissing, "Why is your hair red, Estella? Disgraceful child!"

"To make you angry," Estella replied, tensing, ready to draw her wand. "It certainly works."

"Meretta, this is breakfast," Reyallia sighed. "Let the girl wake up before you tear into her."

"Let her tear," said Estella. "I can't help it that sometimes the Colour-changing Charm goes on and off of my hair. Especially when I'm upset—like I was last night."

"I think you all were," Peony chirped. "Can we eat? I'm hungry!"

Reyallia smiled, giving her younger daughter a slight squeeze around the shoulders. "Go ahead and sit down," she told her. "I'm going to go get your sister."

Peony grinned to herself, caught Ginny by the hand, and drew her over to the table. "We can go ahead and eat," she said, sitting down beside Cherea. "We don't have to wait."

Meretta sat down by Megan, who looked askance at her, wary. Moments later, the dining hall door opened again, and Reyallia came in, followed by Pansy, who looked rather rumpled and displeased about it, and Reginald. Three others came in, Brianna and Samantha with them, and Cherea grinned at them. Reyallia smiled, then said, "Oh, Estella, I don't think you've met Cherea's parents. This is Randy and Stacy." She motioned to the man and woman that Cherea had waved at.

Estella glanced up and looked quickly from Anthony Charleston to Randy Charleston. "Hello," she said. "Are you two twins?"

The Charlestons all laughed. "I told you it wouldn't take her long," Brianna said.

"We are," Randy answered, smiling.

"Megan, your parents are here too," Stacy added. "They had just appeared when we walked in."

"Wonderful," Megan sighed, her mood improving slightly. She had in no way wanted to sit by Meretta and wanted an excuse to move. She jumped up and hurried out of the room.

Moments later, breakfast was served, and everyone in the room sat down to eat, the Charlestons sitting on the opposite side of the table from Estella. When the door opened, a woman walked in, Megan on one side and Naridia Charleston on the other. A dark-haired man followed, reminding Ginny strikingly of the old serpent that lived in the Egyptian tomb.

"Megan, did you bring Sssisha?" Ginny asked in Parseltongue. To her delight, the man turned his head to look at her, and a smirk twisted his mouth. Her own father turned as well to look at her, and several people looked around, wondering what had happened.

The only ones that seemed to know besides the four Parselmouths were the wives of the two men, the Charleston brothers, and Larosil. Megan's father finally came over and sat down beside Estella. "They didn't tell me you were a Parssselmouth," he hissed softly, "but I alwaysss wondered if you would be."

Pansy looked quite worried at all the hissing, finally understanding that Estella must have been speaking Parseltongue to the Sages. "Stop," she whined. "Speak English!"

Ginny hissed an order to Icythan and he slithered out of the neck of her robe, coiling around her neck like a scaly necklace and eyeing Pansy thoughtfully.

"What kind of ssserpent are you?" the man asked Icythan.

"Missstress sssaid not to tell," hissed Icythan, regarding the other three Parselmouths with delight.

"He—he'sss a basssilisk, the non-killer eyesss speciesss," Ginny answered for Icythan, thrilled that he had obeyed her.

Icythan seemed to pout. "Missstress sssaid! Missstress mussst not tell!"

Reginald stared at his daughter in shock, and Sage looked very impressed. "You have good control over him," Sage said to Estella.

"No," she replied, glancing down at Icythan, "we trussst each other. I have had to trussst Icythan without quessstion before and it'sss alwaysss turned out well."

"I usssed to have some of your kind myssself," Reginald told Icythan. "Usssed to keep them sssafe and well fed. Much _hisssusss_."

"Human _hisssusss_ ," muttered Sage, and Reginald shot him a glare.

"Ssso you _were_ the Ssserpent Keeper," Estella said to her father.

He shook his head, then looked straight into her eyes. "I am the Ssserpent Keeper, Essstella. I am keeping the nestmatesss ready for the Dark Lord'sss return ssso that they may rejoin him in his cause."

Sage frowned. "How did you know about his being the Ssserpent Keeper?" he asked.

"I usssed to brag about it," Estella replied.

"To the fiery onesss with twin magic," Icythan added excitedly. "Sssome of missstress's nestmatesss, but not her littermatesss."

"The Weasley twinsss?" Reginald asked in amusement.

"And Bill, Charlie, and Percy, but they don't know the truth," Estella muttered. "I couldn't remember it all—Molly had had the healersss jumble up all and remove sssome of my memoriesss. I don't know exactly what I sssaid unless I allow myssself to relive the memoriesss. But that'sss rather dangerousss because even I don't know what they are."

Reginald smiled. "Do they know you're a Parssselmouth?"

Estella bit her lip and nodded. "All the boysss except Ron know, and Molly and Arthur don't," she answered. "They think I learned a few wordsss by syllables."

"Ssso," began Reginald thoughtfully, "does Icythan offer to _sissshausss_ the Weasleysss quite often?"

"Alwaysss," agreed Icythan. "The _sheisss_ mother and her youngessst are mossst often threatening to missstress. It isss in her bessst interessst to be rid of them, but she disssagrees. She saysss that the father mussst not be _hisssusss_ unlesss he threatensss usss. Missstress saysss he will not."

"He'sss not like that," Estella said to her father, hoping he would understand.

Icythan was not impressed. "The father of the nestmatesss likesss Mugglesss!"

Estella frowned. "He'sss only fassscinated by them," she answered. "He alwaysss embarrasses usss when we are around Mugglesss—well, even Mudbloodsss—by asssking them all about the Muggle World and thingsss like that. But he'sss not tactless and inconsiderate like Ron and Molly are."

Sage turned back to Estella from talking to Megan and her mother across the table. "I thought you weren't allowed to sssay 'Mudblood.'"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't in front of certain people, and especially not the Weasleysss asss a whole, but with Fred and George, and maybe Percy, I think they underssstand. I'd rather not risssk it, though. It'd be horrible if they told Molly."

"Right," said Reginald. He was about to say something else, but Icythan interrupted, " _Hisssusss_!"

"Yesss, yesss," laughed Reginald. "Essstella, Megan, your serpentsss on the floor, please." Icythan and Sisha slithered to the floor, and Reginald set live food free for them.

Pansy watched the two serpents gleefully, hearing her sister gasp and cover her eyes. Estella looked at Peony, then sighed. "It's not that bad, Peony," she said. "You should have seen the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets hunt for food."

Megan raised an eyebrow. "Was it that interesting?"

"You could hear it talk to itself while it hunted through the pipes and things," Estella answered. "You could hear it feeding a long way away whenever it caught its prey. Tom and I used to—" she stopped suddenly, seeing the look on the faces of the two men. "I'll tell you later," she said to her father quietly.

Tom had shouted desperately in her mind to make her stop, and her hands were trembling slightly from the rush of magic she'd felt from him, even at such a distance. He was not happy that she was ready to reveal him again, even though the twins already knew.

Estella turned to her food and finally began to eat. Other conversations were going on as well, Megan's mother talking to Naridia, and Brianna and Samantha talking with Cherea and Pansy. Meretta was talking to her brother, but kept glancing at her husband and daughter as they talked.

The men soon left the room, having finished breakfast, and Megan's mother suddenly asked, "Are the Malfoys coming for the Christmas celebration?"

Ginny looked up in horror, and Pansy laughed at her. "No," Reyallia answered. "They are entertaining Meris Lestrange and his mother, as well as the Averys, Notts, and the Rosier girl."

"Estella doesn't like Draco," Pansy trumpeted in a nasty tone.

"Estella likes Draco just fine," the redhead answered. "It's Ginny that doesn't know if she approves of him or not." She pushed her plate away and stood, hissing to Icythan to come to her.

Megan looked up and said, "Corin and his family are coming in tonight. My grandparents, my aunt Sionara, and two of my great-aunts are coming as well." She grinned. "Sages."

"Awesome!" Estella grinned, allowing Icythan to slither up her arm, and walked out of the room.

Peony joined her moments later, seated in the living room. "Do you have any idea whom Megan was talking about?"

Estella shrugged. "I'm sure I'll find out tonight."

"You could find out before," Peony pointed out. "We have a family tree book. Do you want to see it?" Ginny nodded eagerly, and Peony hurried down the hall to get the book. She came back and gave the book to her cousin, carefully wiping the cover with her sleeve.

Estella took the book onto her lap and tried to open it, but it wouldn't open. "How do you open it?" she asked, puzzled.

"Oh," said Peony. She reached over and placed her hand on the cover. "Megan Sage," she told the book, and it fell open. "You have to name someone who is listed in the book for it to open," she explained. "Megan is in here, and you'll learn others as you'll read. There's Megan right there, and you can flip back and forth to see the rest of her family—the part that's related to us, anyway."

"Okay," Ginny said with a grin. She began to read, and didn't look up from the pages of the book until Naridia Charleston entered the room.

"Girls," began the woman, "there's been a slight change in plans. The Malfoys are coming over within the next hour. Prepare for their arrival and await us in the garden."

"No!" cried Ginny, slamming the book shut and making Peony jump.

Naridia frowned sharply. "Estella, you must," she said. "I know you may not particularly like the Malfoys, but you must learn to accept them. They are a very powerful pureblood family, and if you cannot respect them, then do not let your disrespect show."

Peony jumped to her feet. "Come on. I'll go with you."

Estella was about to protest when Naridia hissed, "Estella, you _must_! Your mother wanted to come in here instead of me, but I persuaded her that it would be better for me to come tell you because you know me better. You must do this, and you must not show aversion to the Malfoys! At least, not open hostility, please."

"Come," Peony said softly, taking her cousin by the hand. "Bring the book. It can read to us while we prepare."

Estella got up and allowed herself to be led out of the room, worried about meeting all the Malfoys on Christmas Day. Peony instructed her on what they were to do in order to prepare, and Estella obeyed mechanically, not wanting to be doing any of what she was doing. Finally, Peony led her into the garden, having her stand next to the stream of rushing water.

Estella walked a little way up the stream and sat down on the side of the pool, beside the small waterfall. She put her hand into the water, feeling the cold flow over her hands. Suddenly, she wondered why there was no snow, even though they were outdoors at Christmas. She knew for a fact that there should have been snow on the ground, so she motioned Peony over and asked her about it.

"Oh," Peony said. "The wards keep out the snow, and the cold. Mum and Dad also make sure to keep the garden heated so that it is a good reception area for guests."

"Wonderful," sighed Ginny, putting her hand back into the water.

Reyallia bustled over to Ginny and said, "Estella, dear, would you please take the Charm off of your hair? I forgot to ask you earlier."

Estella raised her wand and took the charm off, making Reyallia breath a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Estella."

Ginny tugged on a strand of her black hair and nodded. "You're welcome," she said as Reyallia hurried away. Thinking for a moment, she jumped up and hurried after Peony's mother, leaving the girl beside the waterfall. She watched her aunt and uncle open the gates, and saw them welcome the Malfoys.

Lucius Malfoy look more natural next to Larosil Parkinson rather than Arthur Weasley, Ginny mused to herself. And Narcissa—she was tall and aristocratic, her hair blonde, streaked with black. The witch was smiling graciously, laughing softly at something Reyallia had said. Draco seemed to be looking around the room for something, his customary smirk replaced with a superior look of boredom.

Next to Draco stood Meris Lestrange, a woman with a lined face standing behind him. Meris looked up suddenly, and Estella ducked behind the wall, out of sight.

* * *

"Did you see that?" Meris asked Draco. "Estella is here."

"Yes, the three Parkingtons are here," Reyallia said easily, as the house elves took the Malfoys' coats and things. "Estella is staying, but the other two will be leaving before the night is over."

"How is Meretta enjoying her life?" asked Lucius, sounding half-amused. "I told her that it would be better for her to go to trial and get off than be on the run for the rest of her life."

Larosil shook his head slightly. "She would not allow herself to go to trial," he said. "And it wouldn't go well if she was sent to trial, either."

Meris snorted. "She'd pull a Bellatrix and incriminate herself, through and through."

His mother smiled wryly, and the other adults glanced at Meris in surprise. Draco looked at the younger boy as if he'd misbehaved, and Larosil continued after a slight pause.

"Well, I'm not responsible for the actions of my sister, thank Merlin," Larosil chuckled. "She's been giving the Aurors who are after her more than a little trouble. Reginald wishes she would calm down and not antagonize them, but—well, you've been around her, Lucius. You know."

Lucius' mouth twitched slightly, and Larosil smirked slightly. Reyallia smiled at Meris and his mother. "We're all going to meet in the garden," she said, beginning to lead the way. "There are too many of us to be in the sitting room. The Charlestons are all here, and the rest of the Sages will be coming in while you're here, or soon after you depart."

"Corin's going to be here?" Meris asked eagerly, and Draco looked at the boy again in disgust.

"Yes, dear," Reyallia replied, now heading down another hallway toward the garden. "Megan and her parents are already here." Meris grinned in anticipation as he skipped along beside his mother.

They arrived in the garden to hear Meretta scolding Estella sharply, holding her by the arm. "You did not need to do that!"

Estella glared at the woman. "Pansy was threatening to push me into the pond, and I only told her that her head would look better floating among the lily pads. I don't know what lies she told you, but I _didn't_ even draw my wand on her! And let me go!"

Magic crackled through Estella's arm, and Meretta was flung to the ground, landing on her backside. She glared at her daughter venomously, and Estella felt her mother's magic, hot and dangerous against her skin, even from several feet away.

A man walked up behind the two Parkington women and snapped his fingers once, making Estella turn to him. She dashed across the garden to wrap her arms around his waist and take shelter from her angry mother.

"Lucius," said Reginald calmly, looking straight at them. "Narcissa."

"Reginald," Lucius answered, a smirk twisting his lips as he looked down at Meretta, who was sitting on the ground still. "Your own daughter too much for you, Meretta?"

"She just can't deal with a half-converted twelve-year-old Weasley," Estella piped up, her eyes sparkling.

Meretta looked furious, and jumped to her feet, glowering at her daughter as Lucius laughed at her. Others looked amused, but Narcissa merely kept calm, her hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco looked half-scandalized.

"Lucius," Meretta said in a forced calm, silky voice. "I recently heard that the journal given to you by the Dark Lord found its way into my daughter's hands, the end result of which was that it was destroyed. Is that true?"

"Mum!" hissed Ginny, suddenly looking up again. "That is none of your business!"

"It shouldn't be any of your business either," snapped Meretta, her voice rising suddenly. "The Dark Lord will not be pleased to learn of your use of that which he entrusted to you, Lucius! I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when he learns of it!"

Estella gasped. "Mum, don't threaten him like that!" With vivid horror, she remembered the Dark Lord's displeasure at the failure of her father and at her inability to choose the Dark Mark.

Meretta did not turn to her daughter. "Do not interrupt, Estella!"

"Mother!" Estella said, more loudly, "it is none of _your_ business what is in store for  any follower of the Dark Lord. All you need to do is mind your own business and make sure you are doing what the Dark Lord will not frown upon."

"Estella!" Draco, Meris, and the girls were staring at her, shocked at how she had spoken. The adults were silent, regarding her. Ginny glared at Lucius and Meretta, then stomped her foot angrily, turned, and ran off.

"I never saw that in her," Naridia said, still shocked. "Her personality must have been greatly suppressed."

Narcissa frowned. "How can she speak as if she had been in the circle?"

Meris watched Estella run up the path, disappearing further into the garden. "Perhaps it runs in the blood," he said, then ran after her. He followed the path he'd seen until he found her curled beneath a tree, crying softly. "Estella?" he asked awkwardly, not even knowing why he had followed her.

She looked up, tears on her cheeks. "What?"

"What's wrong?" Meris asked in confusion. "Nothing happened that should have made you cry."

"It's nothing that was said," whispered Estella. "It's what I realized—what I've learned. I'm in a house full of Death Eaters, and they're all headed for trouble when the Dark Lord returns." She closed her eyes tightly, trying not to think of her dream.

Footsteps sounded on the path, and the two of them looked up to see Reginald Parkington walk up and sit next to Estella on the ground. "Thank you, Meris," said Reginald quietly.

The boy nodded, then turned and left. Reginald watched his daughter for a few minutes, then asked, "Was it really that bad?"

Estella, now quiet, looked up. "Father, when the Dark Lord returns, Lucius Malfoy is going to be in huge trouble, isn't he?"

"Most likely," said Reginald gravely. "But are you only crying over Lucius Malfoy's future?"

"No," Estella whispered, and tears trickled down her cheeks again. "I had a dream this past summer, and I think you'll be in trouble, too!" Tears streamed down her face faster, and Reginald lifted the girl onto his lap.

"I'll be all right," he told her. "I'm minding my own business and doing what the Dark Lord wouldn't frown upon."

Ginny did not smile. "No!" she wept. "He was angry! He said you'd failed at keeping the serpents, and that I had to take over." Estella sobbed, hiding her face in her father's shoulder. "I think you were in Azkaban, but I never thought of that before!"

Reginald thought for a moment, then asked, "Did you actually see the Dark Lord in your dream?" Estella nodded, looking frightened. "What did he look like?"

"It was horrible," Ginny breathed. "He had long, pale fingers, and he touched my face, read my mind. He scolded me about claiming the Weasleys. He look old and broken, and I told Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George that he had looked like a badly-done _Reparo_. When I would not consent to taking the Mark and doing the Dark Lord's will, he—he tortured me, and I woke up screaming, those four of my brothers around me."

"You wouldn't consent?" Reginald asked.

"No!" Ginny gasped, looking up at her father. "You can't possible want me to be a Death Eater!"

Reginald hugged her. "Your mother wishes it, but I want you to make your own decision. Although, Estella, it's going to be very hard for you to stay free of it all."

Estella sighed. "Now I remember. It was my dream that told me you were the Serpent Keeper. I didn't remember before then."

Her father frowned. "Do you know anything else about the dream, like how old you were, or where you were?"

"I was older, about fourteen or fifteen," Ginny whispered. "The Dark Lord seemed to be very much in control of everything going on. We were in a mansion, a dark place that had a staircase leading down to a hall into the dining room, where I found him. It seemed a very fancy place, but I've never been there before." She shuddered. "It was so cold in that room." She went on describing, and saw her father's face grow suddenly paler. "Father?" she asked. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," he replied, standing and helping her to her feet. "There are some things I need to discuss with some of the men. Why don't you run play with Meris and Corin? The Sages arrived just as I was coming over here."

Estella sighed and nodded, still worried. Reginald lifted her face and kissed her forehead. "It's probably nothing, but I'll be careful," he promised her. She hugged him around the neck and kissed him on the cheek before she hurried off.


	26. Prophecy and Preparation

"What do you want with us, Parkington?" Anthony Sage snapped. "You're as nutters as your woman!"

"Probably," agreed Reginald. "But wait until you hear what I have to say. You'll probably be shipping me off to St. Mungo's."

"No, just Azkaban," laughed Randy Charleston.

"I wouldn't be a bit surprised if some of us ended up there in the next few years," Reginald answered, and Randy stopped laughing, he and his twin staring at Reginald.

"Parkington, what's going on?" Lucius drawled lazily. "Your brat goes off at her mother, and then she's scolding all of us to obey the Dark Lord. Sounded like she was channeling a moderate version of either her mother or Bellatrix. Now you're acting like there's some earth-shattering event going to take place soon. Tell us what's got you so worried."

Reginald frowned at Malfoy for a moment. "The Dark Lord will be returning within two or three years," he said quietly, and sound ceased in the room, except for his voice. "And he will take up headquarters in Malfoy Manor."

The men gawked at Reginald. "St. Mungo's it is," chuckled Anthony Charleston, and the brothers laughed.

Lucius turned his head slightly to one side. "You're not serious?"

"No, Sirius is after Wormtail," Reginald answered, and the Death Eaters roared with laughter.

"Reginald," Larosil said quietly, "how do you know this?"

"My daughter told me—" he began, but had to wait until the guffaws had stopped before beginning again. "Estella told me she had a dream about the Dark Lord this past summer, and it may have been a foretelling of future events. Listen!"

The Charleston brothers were laughing again, and Anthony Sage cast a Silencing Charm on them with a wave of his hand. "Go on."

Reginald frowned and continued, "In the dream, she was two or three years older than she is now, and she was in a mansion, heading toward what I have no doubt was a Death Eater meeting. She perfectly described the dining room of Malfoy Manor, and she has never been there. There has not been a picture of the dining room at Malfoy Manor anywhere, not even in the _Prophet_! I do think from what she said that he'd been back for at least a few months, if not a year or more. That means he's coming back soon. Perhaps next year."

Murmurs of worry ran around the room, and Sage allowed the Charlestons to have their voices back. "If Sirius is indeed after Wormtail, as we believe," Randy began, "then we have two possible happenings with that. One, that Sirius catches Wormtail, and probably kills him. They might send Sirius to Azkaban, or they might finally learn of his innocence."

Larosil laughed. "Yes, happily ignored innocence."

"Or two: Wormtail would escape Sirius and go to the Dark Lord, assisting in his return," Randy finished. "Sirius may or may not be sent back to Azkaban. Most likely not, but he'd still be on the run."

"No wonder your daughter's a Ravenclaw," Anthony said to his brother, and Randy gave him a dirty look.

"Then we'd better get ourselves together," Jonathan Sage, the youngest man, said grimly. "We need to prepare for his return—prepare our families for what it may mean for them."

Reginald looked around at them all. "So once we are at war," he began, "we will all be fighting to keep ourselves free and alive. I will not promise to assist any of you, but I will state that I do not intend to incriminate anyone with me if I fall ill of the Dark Lord. Estella told me that she dreamed I had somehow displeased him, and that she thought I was in Azkaban. I will try not to appease his wrath by handing him victims."

The Charlestons and Sages nodded, followed by Larosil. Everyone looked at Lucius, frowning. Finally, the blonde man merely nodded, and the Charleston twins glanced at each other skeptically.

"Lucius, you're so smooth," Jonathan said. "You think you can get away with anything, but this time, if you're caught, you'll be incarcerated, no bail, for _years_."

"Forever," chuckled Randy. "With Bellatrix. Rotting together in hell."

"Well, if you were half as good—" Lucius began, but Anthony Sage cut across him.

"I was never suspected," he said. "And Randy wasn't either. Anthony and Naridia were never taken into custody."

Lucius did not look impressed. "Thanks to their daughters. Auror killers at age two. I daresay those two will become Death Eaters in time."

Anthony Charleston bristled. "That is the very last thing I want to happen to my daughters!"

"I hold the same position," Larosil said calmly to Anthony C. "However, as Jonathan said, we must prepare our families for what may happen. That means telling your children what being a Death Eater entails, and describing what we get up to—or down to—sometimes."

"I think Estella will eventually be a Death Eater," Reginald said quietly. "She doesn't want to right now—she abhors the thought, really, but given time, I think she'll take the Mark when the time comes."

"If she does," Randy said sharply, "then most of our daughters will follow her!"

"Unless yours lead her into it," Reginald answered. "Prepare your children. I'm leaving tonight after I speak to Estella and Meretta together. We're headed far, far away from here and probably won't be back for some time."

Larosil nodded. "We'll let you know if anything happens. Keep the coins handy."

Reginald grinned and held up his fake sickle. "Will do," he said, then opened the door and walked out, leaving it open.

* * *

Corin, Meris, and Estella were all playing on the rocks near the big waterfall, which was deeper in the garden and was surrounded by a swirling path, rather like a small maze. "Top," Corin told the other two, and Meris grinned back at him. "Race you." They scrambled toward the top of the rocks, hurrying as fast as they could, Estella climbing behind them.

Finally, the three of them sat on the highest point of the waterfall, laughing at each other. The boys were shoving each other playfully and boasting about who had won when Estella noticed some of the women coming closer, since she was looking out over the maze walls. She turned to warn the boys, but they were still tussling on top of the rock.

Estella looked down at the women and saw Meris' mother, Naridia, Reyallia, Stacy, Viola, and two others that she didn't recognize. She turned once again to warn the boys, but they had just rolled off the edge!

The two boys yelled, thrashing in mid-air, but splashed into the pond! Ginny laughed, lying down on her stomach and watching them thrash about in the water, trying to separate from each other in order to surface. In that moment, she heard a woman cry out in surprise, and saw Narcissa Malfoy come into view, drenched from head to toe with the tremendous splash the boys had made.

Gaping in horror, Ginny saw Narcissa watch the two boys surface as the other women came walking up, exclaiming at the state of Narcissa's robes. "Corin Sage, come out of there!" ordered one of the women, and the boy obeyed, looking embarrassed. Meris' mother motioned to him, and Meris swam to the edge and climbed out, both boys dripping water all over.

"What were you doing?" one of the women Ginny didn't know demanded. "Why did you splash water all over Narcissa?"

"We didn't mean to!" spluttered Corin, wide-eyed. "I promise! We—"

"They fell off the rocks and made a splash," Ginny called down to the women. "They didn't mean to soak her, really. They didn't even mean to fall off the rocks!"

The women looked up and finally spotted Estella above the falls. "Come down here!" Naridia called to her sharply. Estella scrambled down and hurried up to Naridia, her head tilted slightly, for she half-expected to be swatted as she sometimes had in the Charleston house. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Estella looked up at Narcissa. "Sorry," she said, looking at the state of Narcissa's robes. "They didn't mean to roll off the cliff and splash you. You just came around the corner at the wrong time and I was too late to keep them from falling into the water."

Narcissa dried her robes with her wand and regarded the girl before her. "Estella?" she said softly, and Ginny froze before her, unable to speak. She reached out and tucked a strand of the girl's dark hair behind her ear. "You remind me of someone I used to know, child."

"Andromeda?" Ginny asked before she could stop herself, and saw a shadow cross Narcissa's face. The other women looked slightly embarrassed and worried.

"Yes," Narcissa answered quietly. "She used to cover up for Bellatrix so she wouldn't get in trouble for doing things like taking out Father's broom for a ride. We girls weren't allowed 'fast' broomsticks when we were young." She smiled ruefully. "Times have changed. In more ways than one."

"I'm not covering for them!" protested Ginny. "I'm telling the truth!"

Narcissa laughed. "I don't doubt you, dear."

Stacy raised an eyebrow. "Here comes Meretta. Drop the subject. Don't tell her Narcissa just compared her daughter to Andromeda."

"Yes," sighed Estella, "she'll explode if you say 'Boo!' to her. I suggest you don't."

Several of the women laughed, and Reyallia asked, "You don't know some of these women, I don't think. This is Corin's mother, Melissa, and this one is Megan's mother, Viola. This other Sage is Sionara, Megan and Corin's aunt."

The woman with Meris looked at Estella. "My name is Callistra Lestrange, and I'm Meris' mother."

Estella looked at Callistra, then stepped forward and gave the woman a hug, which she returned slightly. "Pleased to meet you," she whispered in the woman's ear. "I've wanted to meet you ever since I heard your story from Meris. I liked it."

Callistra squeezed the girl again, then extracted herself from Estella's grasp as Meretta walked up. "What's going on?" Ginny asked her mother.

"The men want us to come up to the house," Meretta shrugged. "I think Reginald and I are leaving soon." She rolled her eyes. "He seems to be concerned about something, and some of the men look like they were just told the world is ending."

"Where are the other kids?" Ginny asked.

"Mostly in the house," Naridia replied. "I know the girls are. I don't know where Draco is."

"He is probably in the house," Stacy answered. "Cherea said something about him running into Ramea and nearly shrieking the pictures off the walls."

Narcissa just shook her head slightly, but smiled a little. Ginny raised an eyebrow and all of them began to walk toward the house, the boys still dripping water. Rolling her eyes, Ginny drew her wand and dried the boys' robes, making them look at her in surprise. Naridia winked at her, and Ginny shrugged, not knowing what Naridia meant.

The women entered the house and walked down the hall, meeting Reginald and some of the other men coming out of the study, looking grim. Estella glanced at her parents, then at Lucius and Narcissa, and wondered what was going on. She shrugged and hurried off to find Brianna, Samantha, and the other girls.

Estella found the twins and Megan in the library, looking at books. "What are you looking at?" Ginny asked, going over to Samantha and looking over her shoulder.

"Family tree," Samantha said. "I found it in Peony's room. I haven't seen it for a while, so I'm looking through it."

"Oh. I was reading it earlier. Do we have any really scandalous people in our past?" Estella asked. "I didn't get too far in the book."

"Only your mother," sneered a voice, and Ginny turned to see Draco sitting in a chair across from the girls.

"Oh, hello," she answered. "Didn't see you there. You know what? I bet your aunt Andromeda is in here..."

Draco gaped in horror at Estella. "She's not my aunt!" he snapped. "She ceased to be part of the family even before I was born!"

Estella raised an eyebrow and turned a few pages in the book, Samantha helping to look up the name. "Would it be under Black, or Tonks?"

The blonde boy looked angry as the two girls opened the book to the first page listened in the index. Estella looked at the picture of the brown-haired witch standing in front of a house with a serpent-shaped knocker on the front door and gave a start. "That's Andromeda?"

"I wouldn't know," Draco said coldly, then settled back into his chair with his book and pointedly ignored them.

"She's so...perfect looking," Estella said with a frown. "Like she can do no wrong. Yikes. She has the same aristocratic look as your mother, Draco, but other than that, they're not alike in any way."

"High cheekbones," Brianna pointed out. "Dark hair and eyes. She looks more like Bellatrix, because they take after the Blacks. Narcissa really looks more like her mother's family, the Rosiers."

Samantha shrugged. "Read to us," she told the book, and it began:

 _Andromeda Black Tonks was born on August 24, 1953 to Cygnus Black III and Druella Rosier. During her life, she had two sisters, Bellatrix and Narcissa, and several distantly related cousins, the closest being Sirius and Regulus Black, her father's nephews. Andromeda attended Hogwarts from 1964 to 1971, and lived her years there in Slytherin House, in accordance with family tradition._

"Wow!" interjected Megan. "Her brat was born in 1973, right? Crazy!"

"Yeah," Estella agreed. "Nymphadora. She's a real basket case."

"You've _met_ her?" shrieked Samantha, rousing Draco to look up at Estella.

"Shhh!" Brianna snapped. "Listen!"

 _However, while at school, Andromeda met and married a Mudblood against her family's wishes. This marriage remained secret until Andromeda told her family about the deed and admitted that she was pregnant with the man's child—_

Draco's ears were red. "Stop that! Stop it!"

 _—_ _and was subsequently disowned, Cursed from the house, and blasted off the Black family tapestry within twenty-four hours. Andromeda had been engaged to Marshall Avery, but her father paid off the Averys to keep quiet about the entire affair, and most people never knew about the engagement._

"Avery?" Ginny asked. "Is that Lauren's father?" Her ears were red too, and Megan was no longer reading her own book.

Megan nodded, biting her lip. "I never knew that!"

 _Andromeda ran away to live with her husband, and a few months later, a baby girl, Nymphadora, was born to them. The child was a Metamorphagus, and Andromeda raised her daughter conservatively, against the way her family had taught her. Andromeda, her husband, and her daughter still live together, although the girl is now out of school._

"And she's an Auror," Estella said, touching the book's page. "Nymphadora Tonks!"

The book flipped a couple pages and stopped, leaving the girls to stare at the picture on the page. "Oh, goodness," said Ginny, looking at the picture of Nymphadora. "Wow."

Out of a bunch of first years waiting to be Sorted stumbled an awkward looking young girl, her robes dripping wet. Her hair was a mixture of nearly every colour possible for normal hair, and the ends of her hair were bright pink.

Megan came over to see, and the four of them watched the girl go up to the Sorting Hat and receive it onto her head. Minutes passed as the girl sat there, looking half worried and half defiant. She seemed to be studiously ignoring the Gryffindor table, but kept watching between Slytherin and Hufflepuff, the Slytherins glaring at her and whispering to each other. The Sorting Hat was silent for some time, and Megan said, "Wow. She was a Hat Stall!"

"Hufflepuff!" shouted the Sorting Hat, and Nymphadora obediently jumped off the stool—only to get her foot tangled in the leg and overturn the stool, the hat landing beside her.

Her face burning red, she got up and headed toward the Hufflepuff table, being shooed away by Professor McGonagall, who was picking up the Sorting Hat. She sat down amid clapping, cheers, boos, jeers, and hisses.

The picture started over again, and Estella looked at the crowd of first years as the bedraggled girl stepped out of them again. "There's Charlie!" she cried. "Wow! I forgot that they were in the same year! Why, he's soaking wet too! I wonder what happened?"

Brianna frowned. "Other first years are wet too," she said. "Maybe it was raining."

"But they're not all wet," Samantha pointed out. "And wouldn't someone have dried them off?"

"Not necessarily," Megan shrugged. "Obviously they didn't get dried off. Maybe they had a splash war in the boats."

"Oh, well," Ginny grinned. "Read to us!" she told the book.

 _Nymphadora Tonks, who hates being called Nymphadora, was born sometime in 1973 to Ted and Andromeda Tonks. She is an only child, and the only one from her mother's family that she's likely to have ever met is Sirius Black, her first cousin once removed. Nymphadora attended Hogwarts from 1984 to 1991 as a Hufflepuff, causing more problems and playing more pranks than a typical Gryffindor._

Estella laughed. "Yes, Charlie said that she'd set off dungbombs in the Gryffindor Common Room if they won a Quidditch match over Hufflepuff."

Draco looked scared. "I'll tell on you," he told the four girls.

"Then why haven't you done it already?" asked Brianna. "Shut up and let us listen."

 _Since graduation, the half-blood went into Auror training, and is now a full-fledged Auror. Whether or not she—_

"Look, Estella!" exclaimed Samantha, pointing to the Gryffindor table in the picture of Nymphadora's Sorting. "Isn't that one of the Weasleys, too?"

"Bill, probably," Estella answered. "He's the only one older than Charlie, and he was a third year at that time."

"Stop it!" snapped Draco. He jumped up, his grey eyes flashing. "I'm going to tell Mum on you!" He dashed to the door and flung it open, crashing headlong into his mother.

Narcissa started in surprise and caught her son by the arm, holding him away until he stood up. "What is going on?" she asked the five children.

Draco's ears burned red. "Mum, they were teasing me about—about Andromeda! She's in that book the twins have, and they wouldn't stop reading it aloud!"

The blonde woman looked upset. "I mentioned her to Estella earlier. I see now that I should not have." She let go of Draco and stepped into the room, her wand suddenly in her hand. The twins looked alarmed and Megan and Estella got off the arms of the chair.

Without warning, there was a Bang! and the book slammed shut before it turned on the four girls, attacking them. Estella and Megan shrieked in unison, jumping away from the chair. The book followed Estella, and she shouted, " **Protego!** " as the book hit her again and again in the back, arms, and legs.

The book stopped, sailing straight to Narcissa's hand. "If I _ever_ catch you taunting Draco about family miscreants again, I will curse you, Estella. Come, Draco." She turned and walked out haughtily, and Draco hurried after her.

Estella got up and hurried after them, Megan and the twins right after her. Most of the rest of the family was gathered at the gate, seeing the Malfoys, Meris, and his mother off to Malfoy Manor for their Christmas feast.

Narcissa glanced at Estella as the women said their goodbyes, and Estella hung her head slightly, causing Narcissa's mouth to twitch slightly. The witch nodded to her, then, with a hand on Draco's shoulder, turned him to his father.

The men still looked quite solemn, and Lucius looked slightly ruffled. He took his leave and led his wife and son from the house. Silence ensued, most of the children hurrying off again. Estella moved to join Corin and Megan, but Reginald stopped her.

"Estella, I must speak to you and Meretta right away," he told her, and the two immediately followed him into the study the men had recently vacated. He shut the door and warded the room, then turned to face his wife and daughter, half-sitting, half-leaning against the desk. "We must leave soon," he said to Meretta, and she nodded. "Before the feast."

Meretta looked shocked, but Reginald held up his hand for silence. "News has come up, and I must leave to make sure that the nest has not been disturbed. I have not been to visit the Dark Lord's basilisks for some time, and I must check on them."

"Before the feast?" Meretta pouted, looking pleadingly into her husband's eyes. "No, I want to stay with my family!"

"Mere," Reginald said softly, grasping her arms just above the elbow and drawing her into his personal space, "it must be done, and as soon as we leave this study."

"Why?" she asked, sounding disappointed and slightly emotional. "Reginald, it's Christmas!"

Reginald sighed and rubbed his hand up her back. "I know," he murmured, closing his eyes. "But the Dark Lord is coming back very soon, Love, and I must make sure everything he entrusted to me is in order."

Estella watched her parents, her mother leaning against her father, his arms now encircling her small waist, embracing her gently. He kissed her once, twice, three times, and she pulled away. "How do you know?" she demanded. "The Dark Lord?"

"There are signs," Reginald said, looking rather forlorn that Meretta had shrugged off his embrace. "Sirius is after Wormtail, and the fact that our Marks are not as faded as they have been. Mere, we _must_ be ready when the Dark Lord returns, or face his wrath. And we may face it anyway, but we have to do what we can—"

The look on Meretta Parkington's face was otherworldly as she fell back into her husband's arms and breathed, "The Dark Lord. So long we have waited. How much longer must we wait? How long?"

Reginald did not embrace her, but held her there, pressing his face into her shoulder. "Not much longer," he murmured, and Estella saw a small flash of pain in his eyes. "Perhaps a year."

"A year until the return of our Dark Lord," Meretta whispered in reverence. "Let's go, Reginald."

He moved one arm and motioned Estella to come to them. She came over and he drew her into their embrace, murmuring, "This is goodbye, for a while at least."

Estella burst into tears before she knew she was going to. "I don't want you to go," she wept.

Meretta looked down at the girl, but Reginald answered, "We must, darling. We will see you again soon, and if not, then we'll meet you at the Dark Lord's side. We love you."

"Yes," Meretta agreed, finally hugging her daughter. "Even if I yell all the time, I still love you. You are my daughter, after all."

"Mum!" Estella wept, unable to explain how much she was frightened for her mother, even though her mother's actions moments before had terrified her. "Dad!"

Reginald and Meretta knelt down, hugging their daughter together. "It's going to be all right," Reginald murmured softly, and Meretta echoed his words. Finally, she calmed enough for them to lead her from the room, tears trembling in her eyes.

They met Ramea in the hall, and she looked down at Estella knowingly. "Come here, child," Ramea said quietly. Estella sobbed and fled into her grandmother's arms. "Poor child," she murmured, rubbing the girl's back. "Go on, you two," she told her daughter and son-in-law.

"Goodbye," Reginald said quietly. "Goodbye, Mother." Meretta said her goodbyes, and the two left, leaving Estella sobbing in her grandmother's arms, the only sound in the hall.

"I'm sorry," choked Ginny after a moment. "I—oh, I'm worried about them!"

"I always worry about them," Ramea answered softly. "But it doesn't help to cry."

Ginny gulped back her tears, drying her face and wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "Sorry."

The old witch put her arm around the girl's shoulders and led her toward the dining room. "Lunch will be served soon," she said as she dried the girl's tears and cleaned her face with one wave of her hand. "Let us join the others."

As the two entered the room, Reyallia came over and asked, "Estella, did you really use the family tree book to taunt Draco?"

"Um, yeah," answered Estella, hanging her head. "And then Narcissa made the book attack me." She frowned, pouting slightly. "It bit me, or cut me, or something."

"Well, then," Reyallia said. "That's settled. Come in and eat."

Ramea and Estella entered the room and sat down together at the table, Ramea sitting beside her son. The men were rather quiet, but the women chattered away to each other happily, unaware of what the men had just discussed. They would be told later, when their families were all at their own homes.

The meal went quickly, for Peony was so excited for the party time afterward, that she was practically dancing in her seat. After the meal, the family gathered in the living room, most of the children sitting on the floor, watching the Christmas tree ornaments shine because of the fire flickering in the fireplace. Brianna and Samantha sat on either side of Estella, Megan on the other side of one twin, and Cherea on the other side of the other twin. Pansy was sitting on a chair, but Corin, his little sisters, and Peony sat on the floor, talking together.

Corin motioned Estella to join them on the floor, so she did, lying on her stomach, her feet in the air. "This is Anabella, and this is Arabelle," Peony said. "Arabelle is my age, and Anabella is a year older than I."

"But Ana's a year and a half younger than I," Corin grinned. "She'll be at school next year."

"Awesome!" Ginny said, and the two other girls smiled shyly.

"Pleasssed to meet you," hissed Anabella softly, and Ginny's eyes widened.

"Oh!" she said. "I forgot that you Sagesss were all Parssselmouths."

Arabelle grinned. "How many of us are there, do you know?" she asked Estella.

Estella thought for a moment, then replied, "Well, the four of us, Megan, my dad—"

"Our dad," piped up Anabella. "Our aunt Sionara, Megan's dad, our grandpa, and our great-grandfather."

Corin counted quickly and raised his head in surprise. "That's eleven of us!" he said happily.

 _It's thirteen, if you count me and the Dark Lord,_ Tom mused, and Ginny giggled, the other girls laughing with her, although not for the same reason.

 _That's very unlucky, Tom_ , Ginny told him, and he laughed drily. _Well, it is!_ she protested. ' _And the Dark Lord and I make thirteen!' I don't think the world is ready for thirteen Parselmouths—wait a minute, if we count Harry, that's fourteen!_

 _He doesn't count!_ Tom snapped. _He's not a natural Parselmouth, Ginny, so he doesn't matter at all._

Ginny bit her lip, listening to Tom rant. He really hadn't gotten over his dislike of Harry, and she guessed that she couldn't blame him. _No, you can't blame me!_ Tom snapped again, and went on as Ginny continued to think to herself.

"We forgot our aunts," Corin said. "Our great-aunts, Rianna and Guinevere Sage. So that'll make it thirteen—ooh, that's not good."

"Fourteen if you count the Dark Lord," Megan interjected from her seat beside Samantha.

"What about Harry Po—" Ana began as she looked around quickly to make sure the adults weren't listening.

"He doesn't count," Estella said firmly as Tom shouted it once again in her head.

Arabelle frowned. "Why not? 'cause he's a half-blood?"

Estella snorted. "No. Even the Dark Lord's a half-blood, and we counted him. Harry's not—"

"Estella!" gasped Corin, Peony, and the two little girls together.

"You do not know how to filter your gob, do you?" Pansy demanded of her.

"Pansy," her father said sharply, but Pansy didn't look the slightest ashamed.

"She's lying about the Dark Lord!" Pansy protested. "She can't do that! It'll hurt all of us in the end!"

Larosil looked at Estella, a very calculating look on his face. "Estella, what did you say? And put it in decent terms, please."

Biting her lip, because nearly everyone was watching her, she muttered, "I only said that the Dark Lord isn't pureblood—"

The men stared in horror, and some of the women cried out in shock at Estella's words. Larosil blinked. "It's a good thing Meretta isn't here," he said. "She would have cursed you severely for that."

"It's true," Estella muttered as Tom told her in no uncertain terms to keep her mouth shut for her own safety.

"No!" began one of the Sage women, but another voice interrupted.

"Estella, dear, where did you hear that?" It was Ramea, watching her family closely. "Who told you that?"

Estella bit her lip and looked scared as Tom shouted in her ear that, whatever she did, she was not to reveal that he was alive. "I—I—" she gulped, and looked around at the others.

The children were watching her, looking as if they expected her to get a tremendous scolding, whatever she said. The women looked angry and slightly afraid, and the men looked slightly worried and interested.

"The journal," she whispered. "Not only was there a memory of the Dark Lord inside, but there was also a memory of the Dark Lord's cousin, the true pureblood Heir of Slytherin. The pureblood's name was Tom Riddle, and the Dark Lord has been impersonating him, making the world think he's this evil wizard, when he's really not. Then, the Dark Lord's original person has kind of disappeared in the shadow of the fake Tom Riddle. The real Tom was suppressed in that journal that was given to me, and part of the Dark Lord was there too."

"There you have it," Ramea said to her family. "I've been telling you for years, but you won't listen to me. The Dark Lord and Tom Riddle are two different people!"

"Mother!" Larosil protested, slightly embarrassed. "Please don't start! It's Christmas Day!"

Ramea gave him a pointed look, then sat down and was silent. She watched Estella as the girl got up and sat between the twins again. The poor girl looked embarrassed and close to tears, but both twins took her hands and squeezed them. Estella sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve, then joined in a very quiet conversation with the twins, Cherea, and Megan.

When the adults began to give out the gifts, Estella merely sat back and watched. Finally, Reyallia came over over to Estella and set a package on her lap. "This is for you, from your parents," Reyallia told her, smiling.

Estella took the gift and held it for a minute before beginning to unwrap it. When it was unwrapped, Estella gasped. A brand new broom, a Firebolt, lay before her on her lap.

"Do you like it?" asked Samantha breathlessly. "We knew you didn't have a broom, so we told your dad—because he asked us if we knew what you would like."

"Yes," Estella said, rubbing the handle and smiling slightly. "It's very nice."

The twins grinned and hugged their cousin. Megan, holding the new charm bracelet she'd received, grinned, and asked, "Do you want to go flying out in the garden after this?"

Estella nodded excitedly and settled back into her seat to await the end of the gathering. Finally, the girls jumped up and began to leave, but Corin interrupted them by jumping up and inviting his sisters to follow.

"No!" protested Megan to Corin's mother. "Please don't let him go with us! We just want it to be the girls to fly together. Please don't let him!"

"But I want to fly!" protested Corin, scowling at his cousin.

"You can fly at school," Samantha answered, frowning at Corin. "You don't need to fly with us—you'll have time to fly later."

Corin snapped at her, slipping into Parseltongue by accident. Estella turned on him and hiss scoldingly, "Don't ssspeak Parssseltongue to the non-speakersss!" He looked stunned, but Estella hurried out of the room, the other girls hurrying after her.

Once the girls were out in the garden, each of them mounted their brooms and took off. The twins plunged down over the waterfall and zoomed along the rapids until they reached the pool. Cherea flew over the sandy paths, but Megan and Estella flew high over the trees and other plants.

After a few minutes, Megan said, "I'm going to fly over the waterfall. Go to the pond and watch for me."

"Okay," grinned Ginny, and flew off toward the waterfall. She hovered at the edge of the pond, not sure what Megan was going to do.

A few minutes later, Megan came hurtling over the falls on her broom and plunged toward the pool. She hit the water with a shout and a great splash. The surface of the water burst into spray, and Megan disappeared from view. "She went under!" shouted Samantha in horror, and flew forward.

She had barely moved when Megan appeared out of the spray, her feet dragging in the pool and kicking up a huge deluge of water. She raised one hand in a gesture of triumph before quickly grabbing her broom again and pulling it up, her feet coming out of the water.

Samantha hovered in mid-air, staring. "I thought you crashed! How did you do that without falling in?"

Megan grinned, drawing her wand and drying her shoes, socks, robe, and hair. "Practice," Megan said happily. "I've worked and worked on the Wronsky Feint, and now I think I've got it! Although, when I hit the water with my feet, I thought I was going down."

"Ooh!" said Brianna excitedly. "That's awesome! I haven't ever seen anyone do that!"

Cherea flew over to them. "Did something happen? I heard a splash."

Estella grinned. "Megan was just showing us her dive-and-pull-out skills, otherwise known as the Wronsky Feint. She's amazing!"

A few minutes later, the girls trooped back into the house, warmed up and laughing from their exercise. They found most everyone still in the living room, talking and laughing together. Corin and his sisters were nowhere to be seen, and Peony shrugged when Estella asked where they were. Reyallia told Peony not to shrug, and the girl quickly apologized.

"Did you like the broom?" Reyallia asked Estella with a smile. "I hope you did."

"Yes," grinned Estella happily. "But I have lots to learn yet to be as good as one of the twins, and even farther to go to be as good as Megan."

Megan smirked proudly. "I did the Wronsky Feint correctly for the first time today," she told her mother, thrilled. "I didn't even fall into the pond this time!"

Viola Sage smiled. "Very good, dear," she said. "And you're not even wet."

"She dried herself off," tattled Samantha. "You should have seen all the spray she plowed up when her feet hit. I thought she'd gone down, but then she flew up through the spray!"

"But she did it on purpose," added Brianna. "It was awesome!"

"Girls," said Anthony Charleston quietly, and the twins turned to him. "Come," he told them, and motioned the twins to follow him.

"We'll be leaving very soon," Naridia explained to Megan, Cherea, and Estella, "so he wanted to speak to them for a moment." She hugged the three girls goodbye, then motioned Peony over for a hug. "Goodbye," she told her, and Peony grinned, telling her cousin goodbye.

The twins came back into the room and hugged their mother goodbye, following them out of the room to see them to the door of the house. They came back into the room, and Estella yawned, saying, "I think I'm going to go take a nap."

"You're crazy," Megan told her. "Why would you want to sleep the day away?"

"So I can be awake during the evening," Ginny replied, seeing the twins glance at each other in excitement. Megan rolled her eyes and walked away, and Ginny hurried off to Peony's room, going to sleep for a little while before she took the twins to Hogwarts.


	27. Siriusly Again?

Ginny pretended to be asleep when Reyallia Parkinson came in to say goodnight to her daughter. Reyallia kissed her daughter goodnight and tucked her into bed before leaving the room.

Moments later, Peony asked, "You're not asleep, are you, Estella?"

"No," answered the older girl. "I'm going out tonight with the twins, and I don't want anyone following us."

"Where are you going?" Peony asked, sitting up and looking at her cousin.

"Hogwarts," Estella answered.

Peony was horrified. "What about the dementors?" she asked worriedly.

Ginny grinned. "We're not going in the typical way. Hopefully, the way we go, we won't meet any dementors. Okay." She hopped out of bed and grabbed her cloak and a couple other items. "I'll be back in a few hours." She grinned at Peony and left the room quietly.

Estella scurried through the house until she came to the door, finding the twins waiting in the shadows as they had said they would. Samantha looked scared, Brianna looked excited, and both of them were holding small bundles. "Ready?" Brianna whispered, a grin on her face.

With a nod, Estella stepped forward and opened the front door, guiding them out into the cold, snowy night. "Hands," she said, holding out her own with a shiver. They grasped her hands and she disapparated.

They arrived on the streets of Hogsmeade, shivering in the cold. "Where to?" Estella asked. "Hogwarts? I can apparate you directly into the Chamber."

"No," Brianna said, "although that'd be cool."

 _No, it wouldn't!_ Tom shouted in Ginny's mind.

"Hurry," Samantha said, tracking quickly through the snow and leading Ginny. Brianna followed behind, covering up their tracks. Samantha finally stopped in front of the Shrieking Shack and waited for her twin. "Get inside," she said, wrenching the door open. "Stand right inside and wait for us."

"But—!" protested Ginny, knowing that it was supposed to be haunted.

"Go!" hissed Samantha, giving her a push as Brianna came up, walking backward and getting rid of the tracks.

The instant Brianna and Samantha stepped inside, Ginny felt a spell hit her in the back and felt her body change strangely. She shrank mysteriously, and found herself a foot from the floor. Looking around in shock, Ginny realized that her hands were paws. "Hckkkkk!" she hissed at the twins, realizing they must have somehow transfigured her.

Samantha grinned at her. "You're an adorable cat," she said, and Ginny hissed at her angrily, jumping forward to scratch her when she lost her balance and landed, sprawled on the floor.

The twins laughed softly together, then said, "Follow us once we've transformed." Brianna became a large black dog, and Samantha became a smaller, but not too small, grey wolf. Ginny meowed in fright, but both the dog and the wolf huffed at her, and she hurried after them, down the steps and through the passage.

In the small, dark room at the bottom, a huge black dog, slightly larger than Brianna, bounded out of the shadows and greeted the wolf and the dog by bowling them over. The wolf snapped at it irritably, but Brianna yipped excitedly and chased the other dog around for a few minutes of rough-and-tumble play.

Finally, Brianna transformed just as the dog jumped on her, laughing up into the dog's face as he had her pinned down. "Hey," she said to him. "Nice boy. Come off it now. Look; we brought a friend."

The dog jumped off of Brianna and bounded over to Ginny, who darted under one of the cots in terror. "Estella, come out!" sighed Brianna, getting down on her hands and knees beside the bed. "No, Si—puppy, get off!" She shoved the dog away when he tried to jump on her. She pulled out the cat, who clawed her arm, drawing blood. "Ow!" cried Brianna. "Ginny, you're a brat!"

Samantha transformed and took the terrified cat into her arms. "Oh, shhh," she hushed Ginny when she began to meow, indignant and terrified.

"This is Ron's sister, of a sort," Brianna said. "Kind of. Although she was adopted. Sort of. Anyway, we did confirm that the rat is an Animagus. And her serpent said the same thing—that the rat had magic and wasn't to be eaten."

The dog barked, and Ginny jumped, startled. "Put your claws in," Samantha told Ginny, who looked astonished at the command. "That hurts!"

"We told her that the real culprit was the rat, but she really didn't understand," Brianna said, tilting her head and looking at the dog. "But anyway, we brought you food. Warm food straight from our family's Christmas feast. It's excellent."

The dog nodded to Samantha and Ginny, and Brianna said, "Better keep a tight hold on her." Samantha made sure that Ginny was held firmly, and nodded with a grin.

The dog sat up, then began to transform, and Ginny stared in shock as a full grown man appeared before them. He was tall, dark-haired, and rather shabby-looking, and seemed to have been very handsome some time before the present.

Realization set in, and Ginny yowled in horror, setting up a horrible racket.

"Oh, stop it," growled the man. "Where's that food, then?"

"Here," Brianna answered, leaving her twin to cope with the yowling ginger cat. She pulled out one of the bundles and opened it to reveal some of the wonderful dishes that they had feasted on in the Parkinson dining room.

The man did not speak, but began to eat without saying a word. The twins turned to the cat and finally transfigured it back into their cousin Ginny. She glared at them wordlessly, then glanced at the man in a worried curiousity.

Brianna seated herself on the cot beside the man, keeping away from the food. "This is the feared Sirius Black," she told Ginny with a shrug. "He's returned to bring justice to the real traitor."

Ginny was terribly confused and scared that the twins were going to be in huge trouble if they were found out. Samantha sighed. "Sirius wasn't the Secret Keeper for Harry's parents. It was another mutual friend they had—no longer mutual, I'm afraid. But when Sirius tried to confront this other one about his betrayal, he framed Sirius for something he hadn't done, and got away scot-free."

"Peter?" said Ginny, speaking for the first time. "That's Ron's rat? He's had it for years! And Percy before him!"

"Ever since Sirius was incarcerated," Brianna answered. "Before that, no. Sirius believes Peter knew he would seek revenge."

"Who wouldn't?" Ginny asked. "But is that the whole story?"

"The jist," Brianna shrugged. "We'll tell you the whole in detail later. But really, Sirius is innocent, Ginny. Really, he is."

Ginny kept watching Sirius, who was ignoring her, and glanced at Samantha, who seemed very nervous. Brianna seemed to be thrilled with the fact that she was sitting next to the notorious escapee from Azkaban, grinning slightly. Finally, Brianna pulled out a blanket from the bundle and said, "I brought you a blanket so that it'll be warmer in here, and—" she bit her lip and pulled out a set of black robes. "I brought you some better robes, too."

"Those look like Death Eater robes," Ginny said without thinking, and the man looked up at her for the first time, momentarily forgetting the food.

"How would you know about that, girl?" he scoffed. "You're much too young to recall that. In fact, you were probably born after the war was over!"

Ginny nodded, her ears turning red. "But I've seen the robes—I don't remember where, though."

Samantha snorted. "Meretta wears them all the time," she said. "That's probably where."

"So you've met her?" Sirius asked with a slight sneer. "Did she shriek at you, too? I'd imagine her shrieking at her own daughter."

"Well, she's not the kindest person ever," Ginny sighed. "She's the most opinionated, bad-mouthed woman ever."

"If you'd met my mother," Sirius muttered, and the twins glanced at each other, "you wouldn't say that."

"I haven't met very many of your family," Ginny said. "Well, at least the ones you'd know the best. I did meet Nymphadora this year for the first time."

Sirius looked surprised. "Andromeda's daughter?" he asked. Ginny nodded, twisting her mouth in distaste. "Oh, stop," he snapped at her. "How is she doing? What is she up to now? How old is she? It's been so long—"

Brianna thought fast. "She was eight when you left, I think, and so she would be...about twenty years old, maybe closer to twenty one."

"She's an Auror now," Ginny sighed. "I met her in Knockturn one night, and she knew I wasn't my mother, as the others had mistaken me to be. She's doing fine, I think."

"Does she remember me?" Sirius asked, seeming concerned.

"I don't know," Ginny answered, then pointed to the food. "That's going to get cold."

Sirius was well-distracted, and continued to eat as if half-starved. Brianna smiled and said, "We should get going, girls. Sirius, there's more food and another blanket in the other bundle. Merry Christmas, Sirius."

He snorted. "What's merry about it?"

Brianna shook her head and stood up. "You poor thing." Her shoulder brushed his as she stood. "I'll be back, at least. I can't say the same for these two. But if they turn, I'll _Obliviate_ them." She glared at the two fiercely.

The man looked at her, but said nothing, merely motioning for the three of them to leave. The twins filed past him, but Ginny stood and looked at him for a minute. "Why didn't anyone ever know?" she asked him.

"Because I didn't trust my friends enough to tell them what was going on with me," Sirius answered. "—and because I didn't get a trial."

Ginny bit her lip and followed the twins back out onto the snowy streets of Hogsmeade. She was silent as she took their hands and apparated back to the Parkinson home. The twins walked into the house with her, then hugged her tightly and headed to their room. Ginny sneaked into her and Peony's room, changed into pajamas, and crawled into bed. She lay there, wondering what on earth was going to happen to Sirius Black.

* * *

When the Christmas break was over, all the family gathered in front of the Floo with the girls and their trunks to see them off. Megan hugged her parents tightly and went through the Floo, and Cherea followed. The twins went next, and Estella hugged Anthony, Naridia, Ramea, and Peony tightly before walking into the flame and beginning to whirl through the Floo Network.

The opening to the Slytherin Common Room whirled ever closer, and Estella aimed for it, but seemed to collide with something before she and the object were forced through the opening into the Slytherin Common Room!

She landed on someone on the floor, and someone shouted. A boy laughed, and someone was struggling to get free from her. Estella looked down to see a blonde boy pinned to the floor. "Hi, Draco," she giggled in amusement.

"Get off!" he hissed at her. "I'll tell my father about this!"

"You will?" she giggled harder. "Oooh! Scary!"

He struggled, and she wrestled to keep him down. "I bet your parents shut the Floo right after you came through," Estella said through a huge grin as Draco got to his feet and dashed toward the fireplace. "Even if you tried to fire-call them, you'd only get a bloody nose."

Pritch, who was lounging near the fireplace with a notebook, sat up slightly. "Sorry, Draco. Meris has to come through, and then we're expecting others to come in. You can't fire-call right now." He glanced at Estella, who was still grinning. "You can curse her, though. I won't stop you."

Meris stepped out of the fireplace just as Draco drew his wand and turned on Estella. "Draco, what are you doing?" he said in surprise. "What's she done now?"

The twins hushed him, then moved him away from the fireplace and explained what was happening. Draco threw a curse at Estella, and she rolled away from it, getting to her feet. "Just don't destroy the Common Room," Pritch admonished Draco.

"I'm sorry I flattened you," Estella said, darting behind a chair and jumping in alarm when it burst into flame from Draco's wand. "I didn't mean to fall out of the Floo on top of you. But I think you should learn how to deal with your own problems without running to Daddy Malfoy—once upon a time, he's not going to be there for you, you know."

Estella darted from place to place, and Megan and Cherea put out the fires that Draco was starting on all the chairs. Finally, Draco managed to hit Estella with a Trip Jinx. She turned over and lay there, looking up at the business end of Draco's wand. "Any last words?" he sneered, then stared at her in astonishment when she burst out laughing.

"You are hilarious, Draco," she giggled, trying to catch her breath. "But let me warn you, I meant what I said about your father. Here." She reached into her left pocket and pulled out something that looked like candy. "Have a peace treat."

Draco glared at her for a moment, then reached down and took the treat, walking away from her. The twins, Megan, and Cherea gathered around the girl on the floor, Pansy having already gone up to her dorm. Estella got to her feet and began to walk toward the door out of the Common Room when an unusual sound came from behind the girls, and Samantha shrieked.

Estella turned around and saw a very angry kangaroo hopping toward them, intent on some sort of mischief. She shrieked with laughter and shouted, "Wheezes!" She made a beeline for the door, escaping at a run down the dungeon corridors. The angry kangaroo couldn't keep up.

When she entered the Gryffindor Common Room, she saw Harry sitting between Fred and George, the twins talking very fast. They looked up and grinned at her, motioning her over while whispering a few last things to Harry. "How was your Christmas?" they asked her when she sat down on the arm of one of their chairs.

"Wonderful," Ginny grinned at them happily. "Tested your Kanga Crunches."

"How did they work?" the twins demanded as one. "What happened?"

"Well, he was a rather large, bouncy kangaroo," Ginny said, and Harry began to laugh, "but he wasn't impressed, and he tried to kick me, like Percy. But I ran off before he could get me. He thought it was candy I gave him as a peace treaty—I'd just been teasing him about his father."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Ginny shrugged. "Some blonde Slytherin," she answered. "We collided in the Floo on the way back to school, and I landed on top of him when we fell through the grate. He tried to curse me and set a couch or two on fire."

The twins and Harry laughed, and George asked, "Do you have anymore of them left?"

"No," Ginny answered with a shrug, and the twins frowned at her.

"We gave you more than one," the boys said scoldingly. "What did you do with them?"

"I gave one to Mum," she said with a meaningfully wicked smile.

The twins were horrified. "You didn't!"

Ginny shrugged. "I did. Hopefully it won't get her hurt or anything."

"Ginny!" the two boys cried together. "She's gonna kill us!"

"She won't," Ginny grinned. "She'll just be mad at me—if she realizes that it was I who put them in her pocket."

"Maybe it'll inspire her to become a kangaroo Animagus," Harry chuckled, and the three Weasleys laughed even harder, knowing that Harry was thinking of Molly Weasley instead of Meretta Parkington.

"She couldn't," Fred said.

"Never," agreed George. "Simply not in her. But we thought maybe we could help give people the feeling."

Harry grinned. "Right."

A door slammed and Ginny turned to see Ron come out of the boys' dorm. She whirled around and hurried to the girls' dorm, getting out of sight as fast as she could.

* * *

Tom requested that Estella come down to the Chamber two or three days later, and so she did. She gave him a hug, surprising him greatly. She blushed slightly, and Tom grinned sheepishly. "I wanted to show you how to use the Security Room here in the Chamber," he told her.

"Okay," Estella grinned, and walked with him to a room a few twists and turns of pipe away.

"There," he told her, pointing to the middle of the room. Estella went to the middle of the room, and Tom stood next to her. "This room can show us what is happening at least two ways. This room can turn into a replica of the other place as it is now: Great Hall!"

The room grew larger, and instantly, it seemed to Ginny that she was standing in the Great Hall, surrounded by the House tables and the high table. Someone was standing near the Hufflepuff table, and Ginny ducked behind the nearest table, Gryffindor.

"Estella, they can't see you," Tom told her. "They're not here and you're not there! Come on. Let's go see what they're doing." He strode down through the House tables toward the person, and Estella hurried to keep up.

"It's Neville," she whispered. "What on earth is he doing? He's a bit too scared of his own shadow to be out of bed at this hour."

"Who is he waiting on?" Tom mused curiously.

Estella shrugged and sat down on the edge of the Hufflepuff table, watching the doors. Tom tugged on her sleeve and pointed over at the door the teachers usually entered from. It had opened, and Meris Lestrange was walking forward into the room! Estella gaped at the sight, staring as the younger boy slipped over toward Neville and hissed, "What are you doing in here?"

Neville jumped in shock, and Meris laughed in his face. Neville glared at the boy, and Meris shrugged. "Come on; let's go somewhere less conspicuous." The Lestrange led the older boy toward a panel in the wall, and the panel slid open, making Estella look at Tom in surprise.

"I forgot that was there," Tom admitted. "Smart kid."

Shaking her head, Estella said, "Well, are we going to follow them?"

Tom grinned and called out, "Meris Lestrange and Neville Longbottom: Lock." He turned to her. "Come on," he said. "We'll be able to follow them now. You can even walk through them too." He laughed and walked through both boys, heading into the passage ahead of them.

Meris led Neville along til they came to a small room, and sat down in chairs, across from each other. "You wanted to see me?" Meris asked Neville calmly, and Tom and Estella blinked in surprise.

Neville gulped and nodded. "What—what do you know—about—about what happened—?"

"I wasn't there," said Meris coolly. "I was a baby. How should I know anything?"

"Your mum—did she—tell you anything?" Neville asked in a barely audible voice.

"Why do you want to know?" Meris asked him. "You know the story, Longbottom."

Neville drew his hand across his eyes, bowing his head. "I want you to tell it," he choked.

Estella looked at Tom. "Why is Neville doing that? Why torture himself with the story of it?"

Tom frowned at the two boys as they sat there quietly. "Perhaps not knowing has been driving him mad," Tom answered. "Listen to Meris."

Meris sighed and sat back in the chair. "It was not because of _Crucio_ alone that your parents were sent to St. Mungo's, Longbottom. Years ago, just after the Dark Lord had fallen, the Aurors were rounding up the known Death Eaters. Karkaroff had just betrayed a large number of Death Eaters, and two that he betrayed happened to be a husband and wife team."

The younger boy smirked at the look on Neville's face. "Oh, not Bellatrix and Rodolphus. Oh no. They and Father were quite well-known; they had no need of betrayal. I am speaking of the Parkingtons."

Estella shrieked in horror, and Tom took her hand in his as Meris went on. "These two were a young couple with a brand new baby—the Ministry decided to target them. The three Parkingtons were trapped in their house, but when a chance came, they fled and left the baby alone in the house, never returning. She was about four months old when they left, and she's a couple months older than me. But anyway, when the Aurors had broken into the house, they found the child crying in her crib."

"What's that got to do—?" Neville began angrily.

"Your parents," interrupted Meris forcefully, "were there. Your mother went to the child and picked it up to cuddle and quiet it without thinking. The child's mother, Meretta, had placed a dangerous Dark curse on the baby to protect it. That Curse was transferred to your parents, although they had no idea."

"What did it do?" Neville asked cautiously.

Meris looked at the older boy for a moment, then answered, "It was supposed to cause insanity at the moment of the seventh _Crucio_."

Neville looked shocked. "What?!" he gasped.

Estella looked up at Tom, but he was watching Meris closely.

"There is a ritual," Meris said, not looking at Neville, "that purebloods used to use a while ago. It is a Death ritual in which seven _Crucio_ s are used; and then the Killing Curse is used. This curse of insanity was to be used before the seven Curses so that they victim or victims would become insane instead of be killed."

Meris finally looked straight at Neville. "It was not random chance that they chose your parents to torture, Longbottom," he said coldly. "Bellatrix and Meretta were very close—well, as close as two Death Eaters can be. Meretta probably asked Bellatrix to take revenge on your family for stealing her daughter and taking her to the Ministry-run orphanage."

Estella sat down on the floor in the room. "It's my fault?" she whimpered. "Tom—Tom, what am I to do?"

"Nothing, Estella," he replied softly. "There is nothing to be done about it."

"When your parents were attacked," Meris said, leaning forward, "the Death Eaters brought down the wards to the house first. The two Aurors came out, firing curses, but the Lestranges forced them back into the house and Barty Jr. followed. The torture began in the living room, and each of the Lestranges did two different versions of _Crucio_ on them. The three of them sent the seventh _Crucio_ together, causing your parents' insanity."

"Didn't Crouch help?" asked Neville in confusion. "And what do you mean, 'versions'?"

Meris' eyes darkened. "He was innocent of the crime. He was there, but he did not do a single Curse. And there are seven different versions of the Cruciatus Curse. Each of them was used on both your mother and father."

Neville couldn't seem to understand it. "But Crouch was sent to Azkaban too!" he said. "Why, if he was innocent—and he died there!"

"Innocence will get you killed," Meris said simply. "He should not have been there that night—the Aurors were already after the Lestranges, but after your parents' torture, the Aurors stopped at nothing to find the three Lestranges."

"He was sent to Azkaban, but he was innocent!" protested Neville.

Meris rolled his eyes. "Aren't you listening?" he demanded. "Look. Barty's father presided over the Lestranges' trial. Mother says that she's certain the only reason there was a trial was so that Crouch Sr. could publicly shame and disown his son before locking him away forever. Innocence did not matter to Crouch the Grouch. Junior had the Dark Mark, and his father was so embarrassed that he had the boy locked away for the rest of his life—all of one year!"

Estella looked at Tom in surprise. "He only lived one year in Azkaban?" she gasped. "How old was he when he died?"

"Twenty," Tom answered. "He died sometime in January of 1983. He hadn't had his birthday yet that year."

"That's not right," Neville said indignantly. "He shouldn't have been punished like they were!"

"Perhaps not," Meris agreed, his voice icy. "But it is done."

"And that's everything?" Neville asked with a frown.

Meris shrugged. "Well, there's a few little things I left out," he said. "For example, Bellatrix and Junior had a screaming argument over whether you should be left alive or not. Obviously Bellatrix won." He grinned at Neville, who gaped at him in amazement. "Yes, Junior thought they should finish off the family. I don't know why Bellatrix was against it, but Mother said that Father said she was quite fierce about it, cursing Junior against the wall before they left the house."

Neville didn't comment, seeming speechless, and Meris continued, "My father came to my mum that night and told her that he was going to be going to prison. Mum didn't know how he knew, but when he told her the story, she cried and begged him to go into hiding. He wouldn't." Meris looked down at his hands on his lap. "He was arrested at that house days later. The Aurors already had Rodolphus and Bellatrix."

"And you were born after your father had been sent to prison, weren't you?" Neville asked.

"No, I was born in October and they were incarcerated in January," Meris replied. "Mum had a hard time, but she survived, and we've both made it, down through the years."

"Do you expect to ever see your father?" Neville asked the other boy.

Meris looked up at Neville, cautious. "If the Dark Lord returns, as Aunt Bellatrix said, then undoubtedly I shall."

Neville sighed, then got up out of his chair. "Th—thanks," he said quietly, then left the room, heading back down the passageway.

"Meris Lestrange: Lock," Tom said, and the room stayed on Meris Lestrange. "Neville Longbottom: Lock." Tom and Estella were in the Chamber once again, seeing the two boys on two different screens. Neville was heading back toward Gryffindor, and Meris was heading for a passageway that would take him deep into the dungeons before it led into the corridor before the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room.

After a few twists and turns through the corridors, Neville ran straight into the prefect on patrol. "Longbottom?" came a surprised voice. Percy Weasley pushed Neville away from himself and frowned. "What are you doing out here at this time of night?"

Neville stammered and stuttered, but in essence, said nothing. Percy was just motioning Neville to follow him when someone appeared behind them. "Longbottom!" hissed the man. " _Weasley_!" It was Professor Snape.

Neville squeaked and jumped, but Percy merely turned and looked at the professor. "Yes, Professor Snape?" he asked respectfully.

"What are you doing with him?" Snape asked coldly.

"Taking him to Professor McGonagall," Percy answered, his expression never wavering.

"I will deal with Longbottom," Snape said curtly, dismissing Percy with a wave of his hand. Neville looked terrified, but Percy turned and left without a backward glance. "Detention," Snape told Neville, a cruel smirk on his face. "Tomorrow evening. Eight. My office. Now get to your dorm before I give you a week's detention!"

Neville was off like a shot, and Snape quickly disappeared from view. Meris was just entering the Slytherin Common room, and found Pansy and Draco in the Common Room, talking together. Draco whirled to face the door, and scowled at Meris. "If you—" he began, but Meris stopped him.

"I saw nothing," Meris said, holding his hands up and walking straight into the boys' dorm without glancing at them again. He began to get ready for bed, and Tom quickly put an end to that viewing.

Estella giggled, and Tom gave her a scolding look. "You were only around your real family for what, five days? And look how perverted you are!"

She frowned slightly at him, then sighed, "There are so many things I don't understand about them, Tom."

"Especially the part about the Whomping Willow?" Tom asked her, eyebrow raised.

"Tom!" she gasped, realizing that he must have known all about her meeting Sirius Black. "That wasn't my fault!"

"It's the twins," Tom said, turning from her and looking at the wall. "Brianna, to be precise. Tell her that it isn't wise to have a crush on a criminal that her family despises."

Estella frowned and grabbed Tom's sleeve, turning him to face her. "Sirius is not a criminal, according to him," she informed him. "And their family would be horrified if they knew what the girls are doing. That's why the girls needed me to apparate them to Hogsmeade."

Tom began to speak, but Ginny suddenly did a double take. "You said that Brianna has a crush on Sirius? Ew, no!"

"Yes, Ginny," Tom told her. "And it's ridiculous. Hopefully she gets over it soon. It'll really hurt her later this year if she can't put it behind her. She's assisting him in his mission to get revenge on Peter and other things, but she will not have any other place with him."

"He's _aeons_ older than her!" Ginny protested, scandalized.

"Your friends all say that about me too," Tom told her.

"But I don't have a crush on you," Ginny answered, then saw something in Tom's face change slightly.

Tom just looked at her for a moment, then shook his head slightly. "Ginny, you need to keep out of Sirius' business as much as you can. Obviously he's a little unhinged."

Ginny nodded. "It wasn't my fault," she repeated herself. "They Transfigured me, Tom. I didn't go to Hogsmeade to meet Sirius, I swear, and I don't really intend to go back unless the twins wish me to accompany them."

"You'd do it for them?" Tom asked her.

"Yes," she replied. "They're my friends."

"Ginny," Tom sighed, "even your friends can lead you astray sometimes. Now, even if Sirius is really innocent, which would make a little sense, but not much, your real family will always be against him."

She sighed and began to walk out of the room into the main room of the Chamber. "Do you think any of them know the truth?"

Tom followed her, replying, "All of the Death Eaters would probably know, although I don't know how many people knew if it really was Sirius, or if it was the rat. I'm fairly certain that Meretta and Reginald would know, however—and you can't ask them, either."

"I hope they're all right," Estella said worriedly. "Father seemed very concerned when he left, and Mother seemed half a world away in her mind. He told her and me that the Dark Lord would be returning very soon, probably a year or two from now, just like you said."

"I bet she was excited," he said drily.

"She was thrilled." Ginny bit her lip. "What made him think that? What does he know? And the other men seemed worried as well! I wonder what they said to each other and what they know that I don't. Father said that he was meeting the other men, and then, an hour or so later, he and Mum left without even attending the Christmas feast!"

Tom saw her worried expression and held back his words. "I'm sure they'll be all right, Ginny."


	28. Nymphadora Tonks

With a hiss, someone opened the door to the tunnel and the two figures in black hurried inside, pausing an instant to hiss the door shut. "No evidence," the man said in hushed tones. "None. Come." He lit his wand dimly and moved silently up the passageway, the other figure following him closely.

He tracked through the tunnel, his other hand held out, feeling the magic play through the underground. "This way," he murmured, and the other person followed him.

Pausing at the archway, he swore softly when she bumped into him. "Someone's coming!" he hissed, and instantly his wand light went out. They waited in the darkness, and he scooted backward, pulling her with him. She obeyed without a sound, and the two hid in a crevice of the wall, pressed together tightly.

As the person they had heard came closer, he gripped his wand tighter, feeling the woman shift, readying to fight if they needed. Her wand tip brushed across his robes, singing them slightly as she pointed her wand back toward the passage. His heart pounded in trepidation as they waited.

"—could have sworn I saw a light down here," complained a man's voice, accompanied by footsteps.

"You're hallucinating, Weasley," said another man.

Hidden in the darkness, Reginald felt Meretta give a slight start and tense angrily. He touched her reassuringly and realized that she was trembling.

Two beams of wand light shone down the tunnel, and Reginald cast Disillusionment Charms on himself and Meretta. They stood closer together, watching and waiting.

"I was sure!" protested the man, and when he came into the light, the two hidden persons saw his red hair.

"You're just paranoid ever since that new room opened up," the other man said. "Come on. Let's get out of here. It's the middle of the night anyway. Why were you down here?"

"Why were _you_ down here?" Bill replied without waiting. "I don't remember there ever being a night shift. And we have most everything out of these tombs anyway."

The other man shook his head, and the two disappeared down the tunnel, still arguing. Reginald looked down at Meretta, her eyes two spots of fire in the dark. "That's Bill Weasley," she hissed. "I should have cursed him!"

Reginald frowned. "No," he hissed. "I said no evidence, Meretta. And Estella wouldn't be pleased."

"She wouldn't have to know," Meretta whispered, her wand hand slipping up his chest to his face as she smirked slightly, "if you wouldn't tell her, Reginald."

"She would find out," he murmured, unable to look away from her eyes. "Just like you always do." Meretta's smirk grew slightly, and she began to edge sideways out of the niche in the wall, but he stopped her by expanding his chest enough to keep her from moving out of the niche.

Her hands crept up to his shoulders, and his hands grabbed her waist, the two barely able to move. The two shared a fierce kiss, fighting for control, and finally, Meretta leaned her head against Reginald's chest, laughing quietly to herself.

He rubbed her back awkwardly in the tight space, and pressed his lips into her hair, asking, "Are you ready to finish our mission?"

"Yes, of course," she purred, leaning up and kissing him teasingly.

"Stop," he said, escaping from the wall. "I don't want to play. I have to check on the bitemates."

"You wasted enough ti—"

"Sh!" he interrupted her, and she fell silent, joining him with a pout on her face. "It should be close by." He lifted his lit wand higher, looking for the archway again. "Here—" and he trailed off into Parseltongue.

The passageway opened, and the steps opened up, but Reginald had a terrible feeling about what he was about to find. Just then, the two of them heard footsteps again, and Meretta raised her wand, standing back to back with her husband. Reginald hurried up the steps and Meretta hurried up after him at his impatient order. He closed the door, but it had not shut all the way before the Weasley brat and the other man had come into view and seen the room closing.

"I think I'm hallucinating!" said the other man. "That room—"

"Someone's in there," came Bill's urgent voice, and Meretta and Reginald looked at each other in horror, their wands lighting each other's face.

Reginald began to look around the room, hissing to the serpent that he hadn't seen for some time. "The ward," Bill said, sounding like he was on the other side of the door, "was modified. It should be simple, if I could remember the password."

"You idiot!" came from the man. "We don't even know who that is!"

Bill's next words were indistinguishable and Meretta asked, "The wards will hold, won't they? The Weasley cannot break a Parselmouth Ward."

Reginald straightened up, looking grim. "The ward is down, Mere. Help me put up a temporary Protectionary Ward. We need time." Meretta immediately raised her hands, crackling with magic, and helped him put up the ward. Reginald continued looking around and gave a cry. "He's dead! Tabashi is dead!"

Meretta joined him, kneeling on the floor beside him. "Shouldn't there be a nest?"

"They should have hatched," Reginald said, staring at the body of the old serpent. "But they're not here, if they have."

"You're a dead man," Meretta said conversationally. "The Dark Lord will not be pleased."

"Meretta, my great-grandfather raised Tabashi from an egg when he was a boy," Reginald said in a hushed voice.

Meretta jumped to her feet. "We don't have time for this," she told him firmly. "We've got to get out of here, or face those two, or something."

Reginald lifted the serpent's coils and placed them around his neck, tucking them inside his robes. "We probably have a better chance of talking to them, do you think?" She nodded, and the two let down the wards together, keeping their wands handy, but hidden. They stepped out of the room together, and came down the stairs, Bill and the other man watching them.

"Who are you and what were you doing in there?" Bill asked them sternly.

"You don't have to hide your wands," Reginald said calmly, stepping off of the bottom step. "We are wizards."

"Not just any wizard has access to that room," Bill replied, his wand now visible. "Who are you?" The other man raised his wand, casting light across the couple's faces. The woman's pale face and dark hair stood out and Bill did a double take. "Meretta?" he asked in confusion of her similarity to Estella. He gripped his wand more tightly.

She laughed, tossing back her hood. "You know me!" she said, her wand now visible in her hand. "Has someone been talking about me? Not... _Ginny_?"

Reginald shook his hood down, smirking at the completely confused expression on the third man's face. "Our daughter thinks highly of you," he told the redhead quietly. "Don't lead her wrong."

"What's going on here?" asked the other man, and Bill hushed him.

"I think you should leave now," Bill told them. "As quickly as possible. Before we have any trouble."

"What is going on?" persisted the other man.

"You're not going to try to stop us?" Meretta asked, her eyes sparkling as she laughed at Bill.

Bill's expression did not change. "No. I don't think that's a good idea. Shall we all walk out together? That is, if you're finished with everything you were doing?"

Meretta and Reginald glanced at each other, then fell in step with Bill, the other man tagging along behind them. When they came to the entrance, Reginald hissed it open, and Bill told him, "The Parselmouth Wards are all down now, even though most of the commands still work. You should get out of here and cover your tracks as good as you can, because we're going to the Aurors as soon as you leave."

"Aurors?" yelped the third man as Meretta and Reginald laughed. "Why them?"

"Because we're wanted Death Eaters," Meretta told him coldly. "We're wanted for Muggle killing, Auror torturing and killing, Order member torturing and killing, use of all three Unforgivables, breach of magical secrecy, and for being a Death Eater in general, to name a few. Goodbye. Don't forget to not lead her wrong, William."

"I would not," Bill answered. "Now leave." The two disapparated, and Bill immediate recited the Auror Summoning spell.

* * *

A few days later, Ginny was sitting at lunch in the Great Hall when three girls walked by and one of them sat down right next to her. Ginny looked over and saw Roda Kotsn sitting next to her. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" she hissed. "Quit stalking me!"

"I'm not!" protested Tonks. "Promise! But," she added, lowering her voice, "I saw your parents three days ago. They got away again. And Bill says hi."

Estella frowned at the girl, and hissed, "What are you talking about?"

Tonks bit her lip. "I'm on lunch break right now. Meet me in the Charms classroom after supper tonight. Hey, who knows? I might show up at supper!" She grinned to herself and began to fill a plate with food.

"Um, are you supposed to eat here?" Ginny asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"My magic was scanned by the ward on my entrance to the grounds," Tonks shrugged. "I'm assuming Dumbledore knows I'm here."

"Why would he know you're here?" Ginny asked.

"Because he's intelligent like that," Tonks replied. "And he knows everything."

Estella raised an eyebrow, and Tonks chuckled, "Well, not _everything_. I've put a few over him in my time.  Anyway." She looked sternly at Ginny. "No talking about my being here."

Ginny shrugged. "I won't say anything. Just remain incognito."

"Of course," Tonks replied, then began to eat quickly and didn't say another word to Estella.

Estella hurried to finish her food and leave the Great Hall, even if it meant arriving at her class early. She didn't care much, but just wanted to be out of Tonks' sight for a moment.

The twins joined her, just as she thought they might, and Samantha asked, "Who was that? I don't think I've seen her around very much at all."

"She graduated a few years ago, but she comes back and visits sometimes," Ginny answered. "Bill and Charlie know her, but I don't really know her that well."

"Has she been in the Great Hall before?" asked Brianna in amusement. "I'm not sure I've ever seen her there."

"Yes, a couple of the Hufflepuffs introduced me to her," Estella finally said. "But I try to avoid her 'cause she's a little weird."

"Oh, that explains it," Samantha shrugged. "We don't hang out with the Hufflepuffs that much."

Estella gave a non-committal shrug and continued on down the hall toward their next class. Megan caught up with them seconds later and hissed, "Parkington! That was Tonks that you were sitting with, wasn't it?"

"She was sitting with me," Ginny corrected. "And please understand that I'm Ginny Weasley at the moment, Sage." She held up her hand to keep Megan from talking. "She said something about my parents getting away again. I—"

"Ginevra Molly—!" began Brianna in a fury, but Samantha interrupted, yanking the redhead sideways into an abandoned classroom. "You cannot talk to her about your parents!" Samantha shrieked at her. "She's an Auror, for Merlin's sake! You can't trust her! She probably wants to know if you know where your parents hide, or something. You can't betray your parents, Ginny. Our family would be furious if you did."

"I'm not into betraying anyone," Ginny winced, pulling her arm away from Samantha, feeling the twin's magic crackle sharply against her skin. "I swear I won't betray Mum and Dad; I don't want to be responsible for their going to Azkaban, even if I don't particularly like Mum's parenting skills."

Ginny was slammed against the wall by someone else and looked up to see Pansy Parkinson glaring down at her, her wand at her younger cousin's throat. "If you even _think_ about betraying Meretta and Reginald," Pansy hissed, her face filled with threatening fury, her magic crackling ominously. "Leave well enough alone. If you keep talking to that freak, I will tell Father and he will tell your parents. You will definitely receive some Curses from your mother if that happens. Don't test us, Estella."

For Ginny had already wandlessly charmed her hair black. "She's not a freak," Estella answered. "She's concerned about my well-being, and most likely only wanted to tell me what Mum and Dad had been up to. I didn't say very much to her, nothing productive, anyway."

Pansy shook her, and Estella grasped her hands, trying to stop her. "Our family would be furious if they knew, Estella," she hissed angrily. "I was supposed to screen whether you were trustworthy or not. If I was wrong, I will be tortured. How does that appeal to your Gryffindor sense of justice?"

"It—doesn't," Estella breathed, feeling Pansy's hand at her throat. "I don't think like that. I already told you; I won't betray them."

"You had better not," Pansy said threateningly, and pronounced a spell that left Ginny writhing on the ground, the twins and Megan watching her. "And don't complain that it hurts:" Pansy said when Estella cried out in pain. "It's supposed to." She turned and motioned the other girls to leave, all of them pausing at the door to look at her. Not one of the girls seemed to feel sorry for her. "I usually don't use spells like that," Pansy said as Estella cried out again, "but you left me no choice. You must learn your place."

 _Tom!_ cried Ginny in pain as her cousins left her there. _Tom, help me, please!_

 _I'm sending someone to help you,_ he told her, sounding worried.

Ginny cried out again, curling up on the floor. She was lying there, breathless with pain when the door opened and someone stepped into the room. The person hurried over to her, and turned her onto her back, making her give a muffled cry and realize that Percy was looking down at her. "Percy," she whimpered, and he looked angry.

"Who did this?" he asked her, looking quite upset. He charmed her hair red and prepared to help her stand.

"No," she said firmly in answer to his question, and he raised his eyebrows at her.

"One of your cousins? You don't have to tell me."

She leaned against him as she stood, burying her face in his robe and stifling another cry. "Please, Percy," she whispered, "take me—"

Percy led her out of the room, Disillusioning them as he helped her down the hall toward the Hospital Wing. Ginny glanced up at him, seeing his jaw set and his eyes narrowed, his mouth tightened. "Don't be angry at them," she whispered, and he looked over at her, then away again.

"I didn't expect them to curse you," he said. "I thought that they were friendly with you."

"Things are getting complicated," Ginny breathed through her pain as they entered the corridor the Hospital Wing was on. "And if _Ms. Nymphadora Tonks_ would understand that, things would probably go better for me."

"What's _she_ got to do with anything?" Percy asked her in surprise.

"She's an _Auror_ ," Ginny said bitterly. "They're scared I'm going to betray my parents to her. I wouldn't." She bit back a cry of pain and stumbled through the doors of the Hospital Wing, Percy supporting her.

Percy asked no more questions, but told Madam Pomfrey how he had found Ginny, and the girl was put to bed immediately, curling up against the pain. Madam Pomfrey pointed her wand at Ginny and began some diagnostic spells, frowning at what she found. Pointing her wand at Ginny, she performed a complicated-looking wand pattern and muttered an incantation, making Ginny gasp, feeling the magics of the curse and the counter-curse within her. She gave a little moan, and Percy looked at her in concern.

"That's the effect of Dark magic," Madam Pomfrey told Ginny. "It doesn't appreciate being countered."

"I never knew you could feel that," Ginny breathed, her eyes closing for a moment before opening them to look up at Percy.

"This was a very minor Dark curse," Madam Pomfrey explained, then added, "Usually victims of Dark curses are in such a state that their mind doesn't register the conflict and only feel the relief begin afterward. They are sometimes unconscious as well."

Ginny took a deep breath, closing her eyes again as she tried to ignore the pain that was still threatening her. "Or the caster lifts the curse and no counter-curse is needed," Percy offered.

Madam Pomfrey nodded slightly, frowning at Ginny, who was slowly regaining the colour to her face. "Were you supposed to have a class right after lunch?" she asked Ginny, who nodded and muttered the name of the class.

"I'll take the excuse slip if you want," Percy said. "I'm headed in that direction."

"You'll come back and see me, won't you?" Ginny asked him, sighing softly as she turned onto her back, feeling the curse lose some of its grip on her. "After supper?"

"Perhaps before," he replied. "I don't know what I'll be doing afterward."

The Madam made sure that Ginny was resting comfortably before she wrote out the excuse slip and handed it to Percy. Ginny caught Percy's hand silently as he turned to leave, and he turned back to her.

When the two were alone, Ginny reached over and grasped her wand, summoning her Patronus as she had been taught. She grinned weakly at the fox before saying quickly and quietly, "I won't be available after supper, unless you want to visit me in the Hospital Wing. Don't come as Roda. Her cover's blown."

The Patronus bounded away, and Percy smiled appreciatively at her. "So you do have a Patronus!" he said proudly. "Well done, Ginny. Who did you send that to?"

"Tonks," Ginny whispered. "She was here earlier, and wants to meet me after supper. Some of my cousins saw her, guessed who she was, and cursed me. So I have to warn her not to come back as the morph she has been using."

"Smart," Percy agreed. "Smarter to stop talking to her, though. Why would they be angry that you were simply talking to her?"

"She wanted to talk about—about—" Ginny looked around and Percy took the hint, putting up a Privacy Ward. "—about my real parents. She said she's seen them, and that Bill told her to tell me hello. She wanted to meet me tonight to discuss that. Now, you know the twins hate Aurors, and the others aren't far behind their opinion. They're afraid I'll betray Mother and Father, which I will _never_ do."

Percy sighed. "Ginny, honestly? You really shouldn't be discussing them with Tonks at all. You don't want to accidentally give away information that could cause your parents' capture—" he stopped and swore under his breath. "When Mum's not around," he told Ginny when she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I can't believe I'm telling you to aid Death Eaters and withhold information from Aurors." Ginny chuckled, and Percy smiled a little. "I've got to go. I'll see you later." And he hurried from the room, the wards dropping behind him.

Ginny lay awake for a little while, feeling the curse finally relinquish its grip and the counter-curse begin to counteract its effects. She didn't expect her cousins to come visit her, because she figured they wouldn't feel sorry for her. She yawned and turned onto her side, realizing that they probably thought she was still lying in the abandoned classroom. _Tom?_ she asked sleepily, wanting to get his attention. _Thank you._

 _You're welcome, Ginny,_ he replied. _Now go to sleep. You'll be awakened if anything happens._

She yawned again and obeyed, closing her eyes to sleep, only to be disturbed by Madam Pomfrey coming over to check on her. "Very good," Madam Pomfrey said. "Now, I'm going to put you in a Sleeping Ward—"

"Oh, please don't," Ginny burst out before she could stop herself. "I was just about to go to sleep on my own, and I'd like to be able to wake up on my own as well. Please," she added as an afterthought.

"If you're not in a healing sleep, it won't give you the help you need," Madam Pomfrey told her firmly.

"What if I have visitors?" Ginny asked. "Will I wake up?"

"Possibly, if the spell has time to work," the madam replied.

Ginny looked over at the doorway, then queried, "Do you think I'd ever be able to learn healing spells and things like that?"

Madam Pomfrey looked surprised. "Possibly, but that will have to be talked about later, and will probably have to be discussed with your Head of House. I think you might need another year or two before you could do something extra like that. But no more talk of this—" she said as Ginny was about to reply. "Sleep." And without warning, she cast the Sleeping Ward over Ginny, and she fell asleep.

* * *

The girl woke to see a young woman walk into the Hospital Wing, and frowned, wondering at her. When the woman spotted Ginny, a look of recognition came into the woman's eyes, and Ginny nearly gasped out loud. The woman came closer to Ginny's bed, and Ginny said, grinning, "Nice ponytail, Tonks."

Tonks grinned at her, tossing her mixed brown and blonde hair playfully. "I like it," she said, "but it's not what I usually do. I don't prefer it."

Ginny reached out and touched Tonks' hair before she could stop herself. She could feel the magic resident in it and smiled slightly before withdrawing her hand. "Ward," she said. "Opaque and soundproof."

The young woman obliged and sat down on the bed beside Ginny. "What happened to you? Your Patronus arrived at the Auror Office when I was talking to the Head, and—that fox was your Patronus, wasn't it?" Tonks frowned slightly.

"Yes," Ginny answered, giggling at the thought of the fox interrupting the Head of the Auror Office.

"He almost refused to believe that the Patronus was sent by a child still at school," Tonks grinned. "And he couldn't believe that a child knew how to send a message with the Patronus."

"I'm not a child; I'm a witch," Ginny corrected Tonks with a frown.

Tonks shrugged apologetically. "So am I. Funny thing, that. Did you know that Dumbledore came up with the way to send those messages?"

Ginny rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Why am I not surprised? He does everything. He can probably walk and chew gum at the same time, too."

Laughing, Tonks pulled her ponytail over her shoulder and said, "Yeah, probably. But you never answered my question. What happened to you? You don't look ill."

"I got cursed," Ginny answered, sitting up and leaning back against her pillows. "My cousins hate Aurors, so when they recognized you, they came after me."

"Recognized me?" Tonks said in surprise. "How?"

"I don't know," Ginny answered. "I told the twins that I'd met you in Knockturn, and they told me never to mention you in Draco's hearing, and advised that I should avoid you." Nymphadora Tonks looked down at her hands and remained silent. "But I kept seeing you. You checked up on me before my Patronus lesson that one day, and you came back this morning. The twins didn't know you, but one of the other girls did. Then my _other_ cousin cursed me!"

"I'm sorry," Nymphadora said softly, finally looking up at the girl. "I didn't mean to put you in danger. Let me say what I was going to earlier, and I'll leave you alone."

Ginny nodded, and Tonks looked down again, sighing slightly. "A few nights ago, the team that is after your parents was summoned to Egypt by none other than your brother Bill. When we arrived, Bill told us that Reginald and Meretta had been inside one of the tombs, and had opened one of the Parselmouth sections. Bill told me privately that you had put a special ward on the place to keep everyone out except you and him, but that he could open the ward to others. He also said that he didn't think he'd opened it to anyone."

Biting her lip, Ginny answered, "I don't think my ward would have canceled out the purpose of the original ward, although the Parselmouth Ward on the room was down."

"So you know this place?" Tonks asked her. "You've been there?"

"I was there this past summer, on vacation with the Weasleys," Ginny told Tonks. "Surely you read about it in the _Daily Prophet_?" Tonks nodded and Ginny continued, "I took down the curse wards, got rid of the serpents that had been there, and—"

"Missstress did _not_ get rid of them!" hissed Icythan indignantly, slithering out of Ginny's right sleeve and watching the two of them. "She brought the bitematesss to sssafety!"

Tonks was astonished. "You keep a serpent? Does your family know?"

Ginny laughed. "They know well. Icythan came from that room: that's where I got him. Anyway, I changed the wards on the room and moved the other serpents so that Bill and his co-workers could clean out that room and allow it to be used for tours or whatever else they do with them. I think Parseltongue would still work, but a Dumb One could still open the room if they had the password."

"So are both your parents Parselmouths, or just your father?" Tonks queried.

"Just my father," Ginny replied, and Tom shouted a warning at her to be very careful what she confirmed about her parents. "I get that from him."

"I wondered," Tonks smirked. "Bill steered around that, but I knew it, even though he tried to keep from telling me."

"So what happened to Mum and Dad?" Ginny steered the conversation back, not wanting to discuss her being a Parselmouth.

Tonks gave a half-shrug. "From what Bill said, it seemed like your parents locked themselves inside the room for a time, then let down the wards and came out. Apparently he recognized Meretta first, and he told me that he thought when you're all grown up, you'll look almost exactly like her." Tonks grinned. "With the black hair, of course. He said her name out loud and they pulled back their hoods to reveal themselves. Bill said there was a tense moment, and then he offered to escort them out. As soon as they disapparated, he summoned the team. We tried to trace them, but they're just too good at cross-apparition. They escaped. So I went back and talked to Bill again to see if he knew anything else he wouldn't tell the others, but there was only a little bit."

Ginny bit her lip slightly. "Bill called the Aurors?" She felt a tiny bit betrayed by this idea, especially when Tonks nodded.

"He could have been in big trouble if he hadn't," Tonks defended Bill. "Especially because there was a witness. If the other man had know what was going on, and Bill hadn't done anything, Bill could have had some severe legal issues. He means nothing against you by it, Ginny. He told me to tell you hi and to contact him if you had more questions, or if you wanted another point of view. I think he knew I'd talk to you."

"But he's okay?" she asked.

"Yes," Tonks answered, suddenly standing up straight and facing the door of the Hospital Wing. "Bill said they didn't exchange a single curse, or anything."

Ginny turned to see what Tonks was looking at and saw the twins and Megan entering the Hospital Wing. "You can't let them see you," Ginny said urgently, quietly. "Or—you could morph to look like Percy, and act like you're just leaving. Do you know—?"

Tonks morphed before Ginny was finished speaking, and the girl grinned up at the red-haired boy. "Do write Bill," Tonks said hurriedly. "He really wanted to talk to you about it; I could tell. And I'll try not to come around anymore. I'm sorry about this." She indicated Ginny lying on the bed.

Ginny squeezed Tonks' hand. "It's not your fault. Now drop the wards and go."

The fake Percy gave Ginny a strange look, then dropped the wards obediently and left the Hospital Wing without speaking to the newcomers.

The twins sat down on either side of the bed, and Megan remained standing on her left. "Percy brought in your excuse slip," she said. "Snape was not impressed with you. He left an extra assignment for you to do because you weren't there. He expects it all to be done by next class, but I guess you already know that."

Ginny shrugged as if she didn't care. "Where's Pansy?"

"I suggest you don't attempt revenge," Brianna cautioned her. "Then she really will tell her parents."

Ginny was about to reply when Tom spoke up, _Pansy is in the fourth floor boys' bathroom—_

 _What is she doing there?_ Ginny demanded, sitting up in shock. _Is she hanging out with Draco again?_

 _No one else is with her at the moment,_ Tom answered. _I feel like scaring her. There's a pipe that runs right under the floor._

 _Do it!_ cheered Ginny excitedly, grinning to herself as she lay back down, making her cousins frown at her worriedly.

Tom laughed. _Okay. I'll let you know what happens._

"What are you doing?" Megan asked Ginny, slightly nervous.

"Trying to think," Ginny replied. "I'm not planning on revenge. But that's not to say I won't slip her a Kanga Krunch if I get the chance."

"You're the one who did that to Draco?" Megan gasped, staring at Ginny in horror. "Ginny, you're going to bring the wrath of the whole family down on your head!"

Ginny sighed. "I didn't mean to do anything to him," she said. "We collided in the Floo Network, and I said something stupid. He tried to curse me, and I appeased him by giving him a piece of candy, which turned him into a kangaroo. Seriously, Megan. Draco's and my problems are none of your concern."

Megan glared at Ginny, then tossed her hair and left the Hospital Wing without another word. Brianna glanced after her, then said, "We're taking food out tonight. If you're well, you could possibly go with us."

"Ginny, please," Samantha said, ignoring her twin and taking her cousin's hand in hers. "You've got to be so careful not to alienate parts of our family from us. You could easily cut us off from the Malfoys. They already hesitate to associate with us because they know that we're a family of Death Eaters: in that I include your family, Pansy's family, the Sages, and all the Charlestons. We've not been close to the Malfoys since the fall of the Dark Lord because they pretended to keep a good name."

"I wasn't trying to alien—alienize—whatever. I wasn't trying to chase them away, Samantha. I was only teasing Draco—you know what I did. Megan was there. And you were there when Draco became a kangaroo. It was a harmless prank."

"One of which took place in the middle of the Slytherin Common Room," Brianna replied. "That probably shouldn't be repeated."

Ginny grinned. "There weren't very many people there, though," she said. "And didn't our family all pretend to be innocent as well?"

Brianna shook her head. "Most of our family was never suspected," she replied, "but those who were suspected bribed those who did suspect them not to speak up. Either that, or they silenced them."

"Silenced?" Ginny queried, tilting her head quizzically.

"Killed," Samantha said woodenly, and Ginny stared at her, her heart suddenly beating two or three times faster.

"Killed?" she whispered.

Brianna shot Samantha a reproachful look, then said, "They were silenced, otherwise we would have no parents, Ginny. But, unlike Lucius Malfoy, not one of our closely related cousins pleaded innocence by _Imperio_."

Ginny bit her lip slightly, still wondering at what Samantha had said. "But, Brianna—"

Brianna squeezed Ginny's hand tightly. "Perhaps you need to get more rest. Don't worry about coming with us tonight." She turned and left, her twin following her.

 _Tom?_ Ginny whimpered as the girls disappeared out the door. _Tom, what were they talking about?_

 _I don't know_ , Tom answered. _I only know what has happened at Hogwarts down through the years, nothing else. Don't think about it, Ginny Love. It'll only disturb you._

Ginny turned onto her side, very worried, and she felt Tom's magic gather around her reassuringly. By the time Madam Pomfrey came to check on her, she was already mostly relaxed, drowsily watching the others in the Hospital Wing.

"You should be fine now," Madam Pomfrey told her. "But try avoiding Dark curses?" Ginny smiled weakly, and the madam added, "Before you leave for summer break, you must return and let me know if you are still interested in being a Healer."

"I will," Ginny answered. "Thanks!" She stood, and after deciding that she would be fine, walked straight out of the Hospital Wing and up to her dorm room to change her robes and brush her hair before supper.

Tom joined her up in her room, brushing her hair out for her after she'd dressed. "Why are you interested in being a Healer, Ginny?" he asked as he fingered a strand of her red hair and frowned at it.

She sighed and answered, "I think it would be wise for me to learn how to heal in case my friends or my family ever need it."

"If you take up a Healing apprenticeship at Hogwarts, or even if they allow you to take a special course in Healing here, there are going to be some hard things for you to deal with," Tom warned.

"Like what?" Ginny asked as Tom handed her an elastic and motioned to her to finish her hair.

"Have you ever heard the oath the Healers have to live by?" Tom made a face as if something nasty had been handed to him. "They are required by law to assist any injured person that they come across. That means that if you take an apprenticeship at Hogwarts, you'll have to treat every single person that comes to the Hospital Wing, including Mudbloods and all of that!"

Ginny nodded. "But, Tom, wouldn't it be worth it if I can help my friends and family by knowing how to help and heal?" she asked him, watching his expression in the mirror. She turned to him finally and said, "Sometimes we have to take risks, Tom."

Tom looked down at her and gave her a small hug. "Perhaps you are more of a Gryffindor than you think."

She snorted in derision. "I prefer to think of it as a Hufflepuff caring sort of thing," she informed him. "Now let me go down to supper. I'm hungry."

Grinning, Tom released her and she left the room, hurrying down toward the Great Hall. Ginny slipped over to Fred and George, deciding to sit with them for the meal.

"Hey, Ginny!" they greeted her together, their friend Lee Jordan glancing at her.

"Hi," she replied, sitting next to George.

"Heard you were in the Hospital Wing," Fred said to her. "What did you do this time?"

Ginny shrugged. "Ah, upset one of my cousins. So she cursed me. It was okay."

Lee shook his head at her. "Okay that one of your cousins cursed you? I wouldn't consider that okay at all!"

"If you were me, you would," Ginny told him pointedly. "Because then you would understand everything I do and think as I do."

"Ooh," he said. "I have no desire to think like a girl." Ginny threw a piece of meat across the table at his head, and he barely ducked in time. "What?" he shouted, drawing attention from the House table behind him. "The Weasley girl has a chaser's arm? Somebody tell Wood—"

"He already knows," said the twins together. "She told him she wasn't about to take the girls' place, no matter what. Maybe after they graduate?"

Lee nodded, grinning at her conspiratorially, and she turned her attention back to her food, ignoring him. The boys continued talking about Quidditch, and Ginny only half listened to them. The twins seemed to know that Ginny was wary about joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team and didn't press the issue.

She quietly finished up her supper and went back to the Gryffindor Common, wanting to seek out Hermione. Ginny was stuck on a bit of Transfiguration, and wanted to see if Hermione could help her. She knew that Tom or Lauren Avery or basically any Ravenclaw would help her if she asked, but Ginny wanted to keep Hermione as a friend as long as she could.

Hermione was happy to help, and the two went to a corner of the Common Room, staying out of the way of everyone else. As Hermione explained the trouble Ginny was having, Ginny listened to her and studied the girl's face. The brown-haired girl was sincere in her trying to help, and Ginny wondered how people could hate Mudbloods simply because of their blood.

"Are you listening?" Hermione asked her, and Ginny nodded, looking back down at the pin the other girl had Transfigured into a feather and back again. "Good. So, Ginny, the thing is: you must visualize—"

 _And make sure that you intend to do what you're attempting to do,_ Tom interrupted, and Ginny rolled her eyes inwardly.

"If you're sure it won't happen, it won't," Hermione said, glancing at Harry and Ron. "Your brother has a major problem with that."

"Yes," Ginny grinned, nodding. "He has a hard time with visualization, and his intent could use some major assistance."

"Um, what?" Hermione asked, a little confused. "What do you mean?"

Ginny shrugged and sat up straighter. "In magic, intent is key in most spells," she said. "What you intend on doing, and conveying that to and through your magic, to make whatever you wish to happen, happen. You could even just think of something you want to do, and let the magic do it, without even speaking a word, or using a wand."

Hermione looked alarmed. "No wand! That's Dark, isn't it?"

Shaking her head, Ginny replied, "No. For the last few centuries, the power of intent has been hidden from the more common wizards. Because of this, most of those who do use wandless magic are either exceptional wizards, or Dark. But this does not mean that those who use wandless magic are Dark. And it's what you use your intent for that really matters, not the spell."

The other girl looked shocked, and asked, "But what about spells that are illegal?"

"Don't do them," Ginny said. "I'd hate to have you go to Azkaban." She looked at Hermione thoughtfully for a moment. "Although an intelligent girl like you could probably escape, just like Black."

"Oh, very funny," snapped Hermione.

"They're not usually done wandlessly," Ginny answered. "Wandless magic is dangerous, and if you're talking about the Unforgivables, they probably need a lot better control than wandless magic will afford."

Hermione looked curious suddenly. "Who do you know that can do wandless magic?"

Ginny shrugged. "Every Slytherin is at least capable of it, and many of them your year and over could go completely wandless and survive, I think. I haven't seen them do things like that, but I think it's because doing wandless magic is widely frowned upon right now."

"Why else would it be if it's not Dark?" Hermione challenged.

"Because wandless magic is nearly impossible to trace," Ginny explained, "and the Ministry hates that. It makes tracing magical signatures even harder."

"Because...?"

"Because using a wand helps to channel the magic into a focused spell," she sighed. "Wandless magic has no such help. It is the sole responsibility of the wizard to make sure that his magic is controlled enough to perform the spell properly. If he does not, then I believe it is very hard to trace the signature because the magic is very scattered and has no pattern."

Hermione frowned. "So intent controls wandless magic?"

Ginny nodded slightly and added, "It controls all magic, including Accidental magic, which is usually not accidental, however it may seem. It also improves magic done with wands, too. It improves all kinds of spells."

"So then why can't you do this Transfiguration spell?" Hermione asked her sharply.

With a huff, Ginny pointed her wand at the pin and turned it into a feather and back. "I can," she said. "I just needed to ask you what to visualize."

Hermione did not look impressed, half rolling her eyes. "So, what did you mean that accidental magic isn't accidental?"

"I mean that with underaged magic, the children have an underlying intent to stop themselves from being hurt, or stop someone from hurting them," Ginny answered. "Like...Fred and George set the playroom curtains on fire when they were six years old by using Bill's wand. I used wandless magic to throw water on the curtains. Obviously, I had no idea what I was doing because I was only three years old at the time, but of course I didn't want to be burned alive by whatever mischief my brothers were causing!"

"I jumped out of a tree house when I was five," Hermione told her, blushing. "I had fallen down some stairs earlier, and my mother told me that I had been floating two feet above the floor: I was unhurt. I had to test the idea that it was magic that kept me floating, so—" Hermione blushed a brighter pink "I jumped out of a tree house."

"And...what happened?" Ginny giggled, wondering at the girl's willingness to experiment with her own life and limbs.

"I levitated," Hermione said triumphantly. "And I knew I was a witch after that. But the neighbor lady had seen me jump and thought I was suicidal. She came over to talk to my parents."

Ginny howled with laughter, collapsing against the back of her chair. "Hermione, you're the only person I know that jumped out of a tree house to prove her magic," she giggled uncontrollably. "That poor neighbor lady!"

Hermione giggled too, as Harry and Ron joined them. "Hermione," Harry said urgently, "are you busy?"

Grasping her wand and her books, Ginny jumped up and hurried from their presence, knowing they probably wanted to speak with Hermione alone. Not for the first time, she wondered if the trio, or at least Harry, should be told what Sirius claimed. She was leaving the Common Room when Hermione called, "Ginny, where are you going? It's almost lights-out."

"Sleepover at Hufflepuff," Ginny called back with a small wave. "See you tomorrow!" As she left, two girls eyed each other behind her back.


	29. More Lestranges

"Parkington, you're a stone! Wake up!" Megan shouted at her, hurling a pillow across the room at the sleeping girl. "Oh—my—goodness!"

Estella rolled over, pulling her blanket up over her head. The pillow started hitting her repeatedly and she kicked it, only to have it wrap around her leg and pull her up into the air above her bed. "Ahhh!" she shrieked. "Megan Sage! Put me down this instant!"

The pillow released her, and she fell on top of Reyallalie who was awake, but not out of bed. Reya shrieked and shoved Estella onto the floor. "Parkington!"

Estella looked up with a glare just as Megan waved at her and danced into the bathroom, locking and warding the door. "Well, she did warn you repeatedly," Guage shrugged from the other side of her bed, pulling her robe on for the day. "She gave you fair warning."

"I don't wake up that easily," complained Estella.

"Obviously," Riker grumbled. "Pick someone else to fall on!"

"That wasn't my fault," Estella replied. "Megan did it."

Samantha knocked on the bathroom door, calling, "Megan, more of us than just you need in there!"

Megan turned off the water, then opened the door, showing them all that she was still brushing her teeth. "Megan!" Estella scolded. "What if something happened and you had to leave here like that?"

"I'd be fine," Megan mumbled, washing her mouth out. "I have no problem with swallowing toothpaste—"

"Gross!" said Brianna. "That's nasty!" She, Samantha, and Riker came into the bathroom to do their hair, but Estella and Guage stayed outside the bathroom, doing their hair in the small mirror out there.

Megan came out of the bathroom a moment later and picked up her bookbag, leaving the dorm with Guage. "See you in class," she said cheerfully, and Riker followed them out.

Estella and the twins left a moment later, strolling through the Common Room. Brianna saw two boys peeking over a couch at them and called, "Corin, Meris, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," Corin said as Meris said, "Avoiding our cousins." Corin scowled at the other boy, and Meris shrugged. "Let's go to breakfast; I'm hungry!" Corin rolled his eyes and hurried after his friend, out of the Common Room.

"Boys," sighed Brianna, shaking her head and leading the way after them.

* * *

Later that day, Ginny was heading out of Transfiguration toward Potions when two girls stopped her. "You did not have a sleepover at Hufflepuff last night," Marlene said to her hotly. "Where did you really go?

"I don't see that it's any of your business where I go, especially when I wasn't talking to you at all last night when I told Hermione that," Ginny said huffily.

"So you admit you weren't at Hufflepuff?"

"Perhaps not when you checked," Ginny shrugged, and Marlene looked furious. "Was I late?"

Marlene threw a hex at her dorm mate, and Ginny dodged it, drawing her own wand as passing students stopped to watch the play. "You keep running off to play with those Slytherin friends of yours," Marlene snapped as Marianne joined the duel, keeping Ginny moving. "It's going to end!"

Ginny glared at them, continuing to block their hexes. "I won't stop!" she shouted back. "They're my friends, just as you said, and I won't stop just because _you_ , someone who knows absolutely _nothing_ about me and has no right to tell me what to do, thinks I should!"

Marlene and Marianne split up, moving further apart so it was harder for Ginny to watch both of them. Marlene continued to insult, and Ginny continued to answer them, not giving an inch in her story of her sleepover the previous night. Ginny was dueling the two madly when someone shouted, "Stop it, you three!"

To Ginny's shock, a spell hit her in the back, and she shrieked in pain, her world darkening severely. Someone dashed up and looked into her eyes. She mouthed his name silently, and the Head Boy glared at the two Gryffindor girls. "You two are going to pay for this dearly," he told them, and Ginny's world went completely black.

Ginny woke up in the Hospital Wing, unable to feel her body at all. When she cried out, startled, Madame Pomfrey was at her side, and she looked up, scared.

"I put a Numbing Spell on you, dear," the matron told her. "The hex that was done causes joints to come apart, causing extreme pain. I put you back together, but your tendons and muscles will still be stretched, so I'm keeping you numb while you recover, because the joints had come apart all over your body by the time they brought you here."

The girl glared up at the ceiling and asked, "How long do you think I'll be in this time?"

Madame Pomfrey sighed. "Twelve to twenty four hours, but if you have one more stay in the Hospital Wing this month, I'm going to reserve a permanent bed for you!"

"Fine," Ginny sighed. "I'm sorry to be a bother."

"It's not your fault, dear," Madame Pomfrey consoled her. "I'm here to help and heal. Let me know if the Numbing Spell starts to wear off before it's time to redo it. It should be redone an hour before supper."

"Thanks," Ginny said, sitting up, and almost collapsing because she couldn't feel her hands, or her sheets, or anything. She glanced around, and saw her bookbag. Grasping one of the straps, she pulled the bag onto her cot and pulled out her Transfiguration book, beginning to read the chapter that was assigned for the next class.

A couple hours later, after Ginny had figured out how to write without feeling quill, parchment, or book, she began to work on her Potions essay. Before she had two full sentences, she saw Cherea and Guage come into the Hospital Wing, talking together in low, excited voices. "Hi!" she greeted them. "What's going on?"

Cherea took the charm off of Ginny's hair and said, "Stel, you're not going to believe this: we've just heard—"

"Meris' twin cousins have just arrived at school!" Guage blurted out. "Pritch brought them down to the Common Room!"

"Their eyes," said Cherea with a shiver. "They're so evil, Stel. I wonder where they've been all this time?"

"How are they his cousins?" Estella asked, confused. "I didn't think he had any, except Draco, and that's a stretched relation."

Just as Cherea was about to explain, Brianna, Samantha, and Megan came into the Hospital Wing, gathering around Estella's bed. "Did they tell you?" Megan said, her eyes wide in excitement.

Samantha placed her hands over her heart. "They're adorable dark-haired things," she sighed, and Brianna rolled her eyes.

"They're perfect-looking little Dark angels," Brianna predicted.

"As I was about to say," Cherea snapped, glaring at the three newcomers, "these boys are the sons of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange."

"Oh, no!" groaned Estella, looking up at the ceiling again. "How does that work?"

Megan raised an eyebrow. "Certainly you know how sons (or children in general) are made, Parkington?"

Estella turned to give her a dirty look. "Shut up, Sssage," she hissed at the girl.

Guage rolled her eyes at the two Parselmouths. "Well, the twins are eleven, and I think that they were born in Azkaban, but I'm not at all certain."

"This is January of 1994, so eleven years ago would have been 1983," Cherea confirmed. "The Lestranges went to Azkaban in January of 1982."

"Then the twins were born sometime in the late summer of 1982, since they're here now," Brianna nodded. "The twins must have been born in Azkaban!"

"Wow," sighed Guage, and Samantha glared at her. "Mine."

"Oh, stop," Estella told them. "They're eleven, Nan. You don't even know what they're like. Don't be jealous."

Samantha just turned her head away from them and sniffed disdainfully. Brianna rolled her eyes at her sister, then said, "Meris was talking with them in the Common Room, but too many people were staring, so they went up to their dorm room. I want to talk to them and ask them all sorts of questions! Like where they've been all this time!"

Estella frowned. "How were they Sorted? They weren't here for the ceremony, and how did they get here, anyway? It's the middle of the year!"

"They were probably automatically put in Slytherin," Samantha answered, smiling dreamily. Megan, Guage, and Cherea rolled their eyes behind her back.

"Or perhaps they had a private Sorting ceremony in the Headmaster's office," Brianna suggested. "It seems that they should have given the twins a chance, in case they were meant for Ravenclaw."

"Who ever heard of a Lestrange in Ravenclaw?" Megan rolled her eyes. "Nope. Too many _Crucios_ —"

"What did I hear?" Madame Pomfrey demanded of the six girls, and they all looked at her, Megan glancing at Guage and Cherea.

Cherea bit her lip. "Um, we were discussing the two new First Years that arrived today," she told the mediwitch. "The Lestrange twins. Brie was suggesting that they might have been meant for Ravenclaw, but Megan disagreed because of their parents' reputation for Dark and Unforgivable Curses. She wasn't very decent about it, however."

Madam Pomfrey glared at each one of them. "If I catch you speaking so lightly of such terrible spells again, I will report you to the Headmaster! Now. Let the girl rest. Out. Out! Get out!"

Ginny managed to charm her hair red again before Madame Pomfrey turned back to her. "Madame, surely you know that Slytherins call the Cruciatus by its incantation?"

"Not in my ward!" said the matron firmly. "And you'd do well to remind them that there are severe consequences for such spells. I have seen devastating effects of that very Curse here in this ward! Right here! During the First Wizarding War, it was widely used by Death Eaters and Aurors alike! It was awful! And what happened to those—oh!" She shook her head in horror, then asked, "How is your Numbing Spell? Is it still effective?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Ginny replied, setting her books aside and curling up in her bed. "I think I will rest now. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, and bustled away.

 _Tom_? Ginny asked.

 _I'm here,_ Tom replied. _I heard. Interesting. Bellatrix must have been carrying the twins when she was incarcerated._

 _Poor boys,_ sighed Ginny. _I can't imagine._

Tom snorted. _I doubt they grew up there, Ginny Love. I wonder who raised them—oooh! I bet we could find out a lot from the security system in the Chamber._

Ginny smiled sleepily. _Do it. And wake me up if you find out anything interesting._

 _Then don't go to sleep_ , he warned her. _The Lestranges are very interesting, Estella._

 _Fine. Then don't talk to me until I'm awake,_ Ginny amended her order. _Sorry._ _I am tired, and I've got to sleep. Not being able to feel anything really, really annoys me._

 _It's okay,_ Tom chuckled. _Rest, and I'll let you know if I find anything._

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with a sigh.

* * *

Madame Pomfrey woke Ginny up an hour before supper, as she had said, and asked her how she felt. "Sore," Ginny breathed, turning onto her back. "But it's not unbearable anymore."

"Excellent," Madame Pomfrey said, pleased. "You'll take this pain reliever—" she handed Ginny a goblet, and Ginny drank "and I might allow you to go down for supper when it's time."

"Thanks," said Ginny again, setting the glass down on the table beside her bed. "I do feel a lot better. But I do have a question. What happened to those two girls?"

"I think you should ask your brother," said the matron with a smile. "He was furious when he brought you in, unconscious. I think he wanted to curse them very badly. They are both in detention for two weeks or more, as far as I know, but you'll have to ask the Head Boy. He knows: he's in charge of their detention." Ginny's eyes lit up, and the matron walked away, chuckling.

* * *

Ginny was allowed to go down to the Great Hall for supper, but she took the charm off her hair, sitting with Cherea instead of her twin cousins. "Are you all right?" Cherea asked in concern. "We heard that your dorm mates—oh, here come the Weasley twins."

Fred and George sat together on Ginny's other side, and she glanced at them. "Are you all right?" one of the boys asked. "We heard that it was a really painful curse. Percy told us everything he saw; he was furious, Stel."

"Dunno if I've ever seen him so upset," added the other twin. "He's in charge of your attackers' detention, and he told us he has _plans_ for them."

"I can't wait to hear all about it," Ginny laughed, grinning wickedly. "I knew he was there when it happened, but the duel and after I got hit with the curse are a blur in my memory."

"By the way, I have something for the two of you," she added after a moment. "I got it while I was on Christmas break. The twins and I went to an apothecary near their home, and I got some potions ingredients that I'm pretty sure you might need."

George grinned, but Fred frowned. "Where'd you get the money?" he asked her.

Ginny smiled slightly. "That's my business, not yours," she told them. "I took care of it, and no, I'm not into stealing." She looked at her brothers pointedly. "Anyway. Next time you see me in the Common Room, ask me about the ingredients and I'll bring them down. I have some for Percy too, because he specifically told me what he needed the most."

"Also," George interrupted as Ginny was about to speak again, "have you heard?"

"Heard what?" Ginny asked. "Is Dumbledore retiring at the end of the year?"

Cherea laughed. "I wish he would," she sighed. "He's a meddling old git, and he's gone senile."

The twins stared at her in surprise. "You don't like Dumbledore?" they said together.

"No," said Cherea flatly. "None of our family does."

"Anyway," Ginny sighed, rolling her eyes, "what was I supposed to have heard, boys?"

"There are two new students that came in today while you were in the Hospital Wing," Fred told her quietly. "I didn't know if you would know."

Ginny tilted her head and looked at her brothers. "Were they late coming back from Christmas break?"

George shook his head. "No, they're First Years just reporting for school," he said. "We were up in the direction of Dumbledore's office earlier and we saw them arrive, McGonagall leading them. They went up to Dumbledore's office, and, well, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially because every other Head of House joined them in Dumbledore's office."

Cherea raised an eyebrow. "You listened in? I'm surprised you didn't get caught."

"We're too good," said Fred importantly. "But I'd rather not talk about it here."

"That's what you've _been_ doing," Ginny said, rolling her eyes at them again. "But we could probably find a quiet corner to talk in the Ravenclaw Common Room." The twins looked over at Cherea, and Ginny scowled. "If you've said this much in front of her, you can tell it all to her, unless she decides she doesn't want to know, which I doubt."

"Fine," George agreed. "So eat fast so we can get out of here."

After all four had finished their supper, they jumped up and walked out of the Great Hall together, the girls leading the way and the boys walking behind them. They hurried up the steps of Ravenclaw Tower, and Cherea answered the riddle for them to enter the Common Room. She led the to a study corner that was warded against noise and said, "All right. You can speak now, and no one will hear except us."

The twins nodded, and Ginny motioned them to go ahead. Fred grinned and said, "We used a new product: Extendable Ears—"

"—the best listening device in the Wizarding World—"

"—to hear what was being said inside the office."

George leaned forward slightly and said, "Apparently the people the boys had been living with didn't want them to be in on the main Sorting ceremony in the Great Hall. They didn't want the boys to be out in the open first thing, but for others to gradually learn that the twins actually exist!"

Cherea frowned thoughtfully. "Do you know who they actually lived with?"

"The one boy said they'd lived with Wesley Avery's family," Fred shrugged, looking at Estella and Cherea, who looked shocked. "Do you know who that is?"

"Wesley Avery is Marshall Avery's younger brother, but the two had a quarrel some time back, and they don't speak to each other any more," Cherea supplied. "No wonder they lived in complete secrecy!"

Fred and George glanced at Cherea suspiciously, and Fred continued, "The family they stayed with planned to keep the twins at home until after Christmas break, so they would be able to just slip into school without being noticed!"

Cherea snorted. "That obviously didn't work."

The Weasley twins laughed. "Of course not. And some of it was already out by the time we got to the Gryffindor Common Room!"

"They brought the boys to the office to question them," Fred said, "and also to do their Sorting. That's why all the Heads of House were there."

"Both boys went to Slytherin," George said, wrinkling his nose. "But we think that the professors were very nervous about it all, actually."

"They had them roll up their left sleeves," Fred continued, shaking his head. "What did they think that would do?"

"Dark Mark, Fred," Ginny said, her mouth dropping open. "The professors were checking to make sure the boys didn't have the Dark Mark! But honestly, if they were born after the Dark Lord's accident, then they wouldn't have had a chance to get the Dark Mark because the Dark Lord isn't back yet!"

The twins looked even more alarmed. "That's why? But, Ginny, we never learned who the boys were through the Ears," George told her. "We have no idea why the professors were so paranoid."

Ginny and Cherea blinked. "Never learned their names?" Cherea said in surprise.

Fred and George shook their heads. "Not the last name. Only one first: Karntaan."

"Oooh," sighed Ginny, looking at her brothers. "Then what?"

"Both boys went to Slytherin, of course, and after a few more ridiculous questions, they allowed a Slytherin prefect to take the boys down to the dungeons," said the Weasleys. "And we had to leave so they wouldn't see us. But the boys are dark-haired, and they're really short, even as short as an eight or nine year old!"

"They are Meris Lestrange's cousins," Cherea said quietly, and the Weasley twins stared at her. "The two boys you saw are the twin sons of Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange. They've been hidden, no doubt, to protect them from the hatred toward their parents from the Wizarding World. I'm certain those that hate their parents would also hate them, and the boys don't need that."

The Weasleys still looked startled, and Ginny sighed, "Fred, George, they're barely eleven; don't worry about them. They haven't had their parents' influence on them at all—"

"In fact," Cherea interrupted, "the Wesley Avery family would probably be the best pureblood family for children of such traumatic circumstances to be raised in. Don't you understand? Those twins were born in _Azkaban_ , you two."

"That's...not good, I suppose," Fred said, looking thoughtful and shaking his head to get rid of his thoughtfulness. "Not good at all."

"Precisely," Cherea nodded. "I wonder what it was like for her. I mean, first of all, Azkaban isn't at all an ideal place for anyone—"

"Especially a pregnant woman," Ginny rolled her eyes. "I wonder how she survived: I guess she's still alive, isn't she? Pansy said she was."

Fred nodded. "We checked different records to find out," he said. "The Lestranges have been in Azkaban for twelve years this January, and none of them have died. The only imprisoned Death Eater who died already was Barty Crouch, Jr."

George stared at him. "Who?"

"Oh, that's Crouch's son," Fred shrugged off the question. "But when he was discovered to be a Death Eater, Crouch the Grouch disowned him and sent him to Azkaban, where he died a year later."

"How do you know that?" George asked his twin with a frown.

"I had a conversation with Bill about it one time," Fred answered. "I asked him what he remembered about the First Wizarding War, and he told me about Junior. Apparently thinking of a twenty year old boy wasting away in one year in Azkaban was traumatizing for our oldest brother. Bill was at school at the time, and apparently, there was an announcement in the _Prophet,_ and some of the teachers mentioned it in their classes. I think Bill was—"

"Twelve at the time," Ginny supplied, shuddering in horror. "That's how old I am right now, and I'm horrified too!"

Cherea sighed. "It can't be helped," she said. "We can't stop what's already happened. The prisoners can't be saved from their sentences, and we shouldn't want to save them either. They're evil, or do you really believe that all those who got off were really innocent?"

Fred looked offended. "Of course not! Just look at Malfoy's dad! He

 _definitely_ —!"

"Oh, shut up," Ginny said sharply. "You should know Lucius wasn't made for Azkaban, Fred, George. He's too fine for it; it would kill him quickly, or at least I believe it would have back then."

"How would you know what effect it would have had on him?" George scoffed. "Ginny, he was a Death Eater; he should have gone to Azkaban."

"And leave behind his wife and little boy?" Ginny asked coldly. "It was better that Draco have a father."

Fred rolled his eyes. "So the brat can go complaining to his father every two minutes?"

George leaned closer to Ginny, speaking earnestly, "So you think that the Lestranges, all three of them, should have been let off because of their sons?"

"No." Ginny shook her head. "Please don't think that. Their crime was unparalleled, to be sure, but I'm just saying that, for the ones that got off, I'm pleased Lucius did, because at least he was able to stay with his family."

"They aren't much of a family," George pointed out, and Cherea glared at him.

"Just because Malfoy Manor isn't absolutely exploding with little Malfoys doesn't mean that they're not a family," Cherea growled at him. "They are a different kind, Weasley. Surely you know there is no comparison between your families?"

"Yes," Ginny agreed with Cherea firmly, not giving her brothers time to answer. "They're the type of old pureblood family that doesn't publicly display emotion of any kind, or anything like that unfitting of their blood-status. The Malfoys are just refined ice, that's all."

The twins laughed, and Ginny cracked a smile. "Just be careful what you say in front of everyone else," they warned her. "Especially Mum and Dad. They won't understand at all."

Ginny stood up, and so did the twins, both of them pulling their sister into a hug. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll be just as discrete as you two."

Cherea snorted with laughter as the three left together, Ginny charming her hair so she fit in with the twins. Ginny told them that she had to check in with Madam Pomfrey, so the boys escorted her to the Hospital Wing.

The matron smiled to see her and asked, "How are you feeling, Ms. Weasley?"

"A bit sore, but otherwise fine," she said. "It just feels like I've had a bit more exercise than normal." To her surprise, Fred and George did not comment on her statement.

"Excellent," Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Then you should be mostly healed. Take care of yourself now," she scolded the redhead. "Look out for yourself better, and stay out of trouble!"

"Yes, Ma'am, I'll try," Ginny promised with a smile. "Thanks."

"Oh, you're welcome. And don't forget to tell me what you've decided about the apprenticeship," the matron told her before shooing the three of them out of the ward.

The twins frowned at Ginny as they headed up toward Gryffindor. "What did she mean about an apprenticeship?" they asked curiously and suspiciously.

Ginny smiled even more. "I might be getting an apprenticeship to learn Healing with Madam Pomfrey," she told the boys. "I'm really, really excited, and it might start next year, if I get it at all."

Fred snorted. "Hysterical First Years? Blood? And broken bones?"

"And sickness, especially the flu," Ginny answered, glaring at him. "I haven't worried about blood, or anything like that since the beginning of last year. It doesn't faze me any more."

"And what if you have to heal one of your enemies?" George asked her. "Like that git that cursed you earlier today. What if you had to help her?"

"I could do it, if only to learn how to help my friends, and my family, when they are hurt," Ginny replied. "I feel like I must do this, Fred, George. Please don't discourage me."

They grinned. "Wow, Ginny," said Fred. "Good luck. We hope that you get it, and do very well on it, too."

Ginny grinned back at them. "Thanks," she told him. "I'm glad you like the idea. I hope that the other students won't cause problems for me if I do get the position."

The twins shrugged. "You'll be fine," George told her as they entered the Gryffindor Common Room. "Now where are those Potions ingredients?"

"Upstairs," Ginny said. "I'll go get them."

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Fred asked, then winked. "Madam Pomfrey doesn't seem to want you around for a while. Perhaps you ought to have someone go with you."

"I'll be fine," Ginny answered. "Thanks." As she turned to go, Hermione joined her on the way to the girls' dorm, looking upset. "Are you all right, Hermione?" she asked the girl.

"Your brother Ron is a—well, he's just despicable!" Hermione stormed. "His rat disappeared, and—Ginny, he's blaming Crookshanks! He thinks that Crookshanks ate his rat! Isn't that the stupidest thing ever? I can't _believe_ him! Just because Crookshanks jumped on his head in the Menagerie, just because Crookshanks seems to chase the stupid animal all over!"

Hermione looked close to tears, and Ginny put her arms around the girl, hugging her comfortingly. "Hermione," Ginny said softly, opening the door to her dorm room and stepping inside, "why don't you come in here for a moment? I have to get something for Fred and George."

When Hermione had come into the room, the other girls in the room glanced up, then pretended to ignore them. Ginny opened her trunk and pulled out the bag of potions ingredients. "Hermione, Ron is...concerned about his rat, although we'd all probably be better off if it died. If Crookshanks is just being himself (and I'm sure he is), then Ron is just being himself (you know he hasn't got much he can call his own). And maybe Scabbers was scared into hiding or something by Crookshanks. I seriously doubt the cat ate him: the cat should know better. Crookshanks is special."

Hermione sighed gratefully. "Thanks, Ginny," she said. "May I come down with you to speak with Fred and George?"

"Sure," Ginny told her friend. "I'm just going to give them some potions ingredients I got over summer break."

"Oh," said Hermione. "Did you enjoy your time at home? How's your mum and dad?"

"They're fine," Ginny said with a smile, although she hadn't even seen her parents since they'd dropped her and her brothers off at King's Cross Station. "They always miss us when we're gone, of course."

"Oh, yes," Hermione smiled back. "It must be fun to be able to go home rather than stick around here."

Ginny shrugged as they headed back down the stairs. "Really," she said, "I like Hogwarts better than I like the Burrow, except that I usually don't get cursed twice a month at the Burrow, only yelled at."

Hermione grinned. "Yelled at by Ron?" she asked.

The redhead rolled her eyes. "By Ron, and Mum, and sometimes Percy, but he usually yells because we're disturbing his studies, or playing pranks, or something. Percy always has a reason for everything he does. I love him."

"It's a good thing you care so much for your brothers," Hermione said. "Sometimes I wish I had brothers or sisters, or even both!"

"You can have mine, except for Charlie, Fred, and George," Ginny said. "I think they're the ones that would upset you. They really didn't care much for studies and love pranks. Charlie is a Dragon keeper because he loves animals so much, but Fred and George want to start a joke shop, which is something else that makes Mo—Mum—yell."

Hermione gave her a strange look, then sat down as they reached the twins and Ginny set the bag in front of them. "They're not all for you two," Ginny told them. "So choose carefully. There are quite a few different things, and some of them I bought specifically for Percy."

Watching the twins look over the ingredients, Hermione commented, "That's a lot, Ginny. Where'd you get it?"

"Traded for it at another shop completely away from Diagon," Ginny answered. "Diagon's prices are marked up because it's the main shopping place for Hogwarts students, but elsewhere, you can get really good deals."

"Cool," said Hermione, and entirely dropped the subject as Ginny wanted her to.

"Thanks," the twins told her once they had gathered the ingredients they needed. They headed up to their dorm room as Percy came over and Ginny gave him the ingredients he'd told her he needed.

Percy smiled at her and Hermione. "Thanks, Ginny," he said. "Nice going!"

After he left, Ginny gathered her things and headed back upstairs with Hermione. "You can stay in our dorm room if you want, tonight," Hermione offered to Ginny. "Just to avoid your dorm mates for a little while."

Ginny smiled. "Thanks so much, Hermione. You're great."

Hermione just smiled and went with Ginny to her room to gather her things with her. When they returned to Hermione's room, she found Lavender, Parvati, and two other girls talking together and giggling. They stopped when the other girls came in, and Ginny sighed. "Don't tell me you're mad at me too."

"No, not you," sighed Lavender, turning to Ginny. "Hermione thinks Divination's all rot! And she never shuts up about it!"

"It's a Gryffindor trait to never shut up about something that annoys you until that thing is removed or changed," Ginny replied, carefully warning Hermione not to speak. "And maybe it becomes stuffy in the Divination tower? I've heard it's awfully easy to fall asleep in Trelawney's class. Maybe the scented candles and all do make brains extremely fuzzy so they imagine things. Who knows?"

Parvati looked as if she were about to say something, but one of the other girls interrupted, "But, Harry and Ron don't complain—"

Ginny shrugged. "They've probably made the class into a joke. You know that they fudge most everything that they turn in for that class, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," said Hermione, "and I disapprove!"

"So, if you think it's all rot, why do you disapprove of their fudging it all?" Ginny asked. "Just let them get through their class. If they fudge rot, who cares? And if _you_ make up some things, who cares, Hermione? You'll probably be able to drop the class at the end of the year anyway since you believe there's no point in it. You probably have enough electives! Don't worry about it."

Ginny duplicated one of the beds, making the other girls look annoyed. "Sorry," Ginny shrugged. "I'm sleeping here tonight. Good thing Hermione has the bed next to the wall, or I'd have to scoot one of the beds over."

Lavender glared at her. "No wonder your dorm mates hate you."

Frozen in place as she was pulling a book out of her bag, Ginny finally straightened up and said, "They hate me because I hang out with the Charleston twins, those Slytherin girls, and they don't understand that because they hate me for that, I appreciate my Slytherin friends more, because most of them understand that perhaps not every single Gryffindor is a biased, arrogant moron!"

Ginny sat down on the bed she'd conjured and began to read her book for class the next day, ignoring the other girls. Hermione sat down on her own bed, doing homework until she yawned and stretched. "Ginny," she said, "I'm going to get a bath and go to bed. Are you almost done with your homework?"

"Yes," Ginny answered, looking up with a slight smile. "I'm writing a letter to my brother Bill."

"Okay," Hermione said, pulling a fresh nightgown from her trunk and wrapping her other things up in it. "Be back soon."

Ginny nodded, then finished her cautiously-written letter to her brother and signed his name to the outside of the envelope, sealing it. Slipping the letter into her bag, she set the bag on her bed at the end and put up wards over the entire bed. Ignoring the stares in her direction from the other girls in the room, Ginny curled up and went to sleep peacefully.


	30. Recollections

_Ginny was taking her first steps, her big brother holding her hand, and a small, red-haired boy was sitting by, playing with a toy wand and laughing at her. Charlie frowned at Ron and said, "Shut up, Ron, or I'll tell Mum you're making fun of Ginny again."_

 _"_ _No!" Ron shouted, just as Ginny fell and bumped her knee, looking up at Charlie in surprise. Ron began to laugh._

 _"_ _Ron!" Molly bustled into the room as Ginny clung to Charlie tightly, hiding her face in his robe. "What are you doing?"_

 _"_ _Ginny was trying to hurt me, but Charlie stopped her," Ron lied._

 _"_ _No!" cried the little girl, looking up at Ron, hurt and anger coming through her. "No! Ginny wasn't!"_

 _Molly looked down at the three year old girl in trepidation. "Ginny, dear, are you sure?"_

 _Ginny nodded, sticking her thumb in her mouth and leaning against Charlie again, knowing that for some reason, her mother didn't trust her at all. Charlie hugged her as Molly made Ron leave the room. "I'm sorry," Charlie whispered to her. "I don't know what Mum did, or I'd change it back."_

 _Ginny looked into his dark brown eyes and smiled, showing her teeth that were coming in. "I love you," she told him plainly, and he looked at her, surprised at her improved speech before he hugged her again, sighing._

* * *

 _The scene changed, and Ginny was at least a year younger than her three year old self. She was sitting on the floor in the living room of the Burrow with her adopted family, their father already home from work. Their mother was scolding the twins for their latest magic with their father's wand, and Bill and Charlie were snickering behind her back, a seven year old Percy looking over a book in disapproval._

 _Ron was sitting on the couch beside his father, watching Ginny play with a small wooden puzzle that could be put together by comparing the magics of the pieces. Finally, she tired of the game and placed two of the pieces against her face, giggling as she felt the magic tickle her skin._

 _The woman turned to look at Estella when she laughed, and the child immediately frowned up at her, throwing the pieces down on the rest of the puzzle. Ron glared at her as if she'd torn down part of the house and hollered, "Don't throw things! Moooooom! Ginny's stupid!"_

 _"_ _I'm not Ginny!" she shrieked at him in rage, tugging on her black hair pointedly. "I'm 'stella Parkington, and I hate you!"_

 _"_ _You're not supposed to say that," Fred and George told her, sounding as if they could care less._

 _"_ _Come here, then, darling," said their father, holding out his arms to her._

 _Estella pouted. "I'm not your darling," she said, but she went over to him and he lifted her onto his lap, cuddling her lovingly. She nestled into his arms, longing for love that she already understood would probably never come from her real parents again._

 _Ron jumped down from the couch, going to play with the puzzle, and Estella sat up on the man's lap, concentrating on the pieces. "Ow!" Ron hollered, pulling his hand back from the pieces and examining the burn. "Mum, Ginny did it again!"_

 _"_ _I'm not Ginny," repeated the little girl, a look of glee on her face._

 _"_ _Ginny, did you do that?" the man asked sternly, pointing down at Ron's burnt hand and the puzzle. He had made sure to speak before Molly went off on a rant._

 _"_ _I'm not Ginny," she said quietly, turning and looking into his eyes. "'stella did that."_

 _"_ _I hate you!" Ron howled at her, but the other toddler was unmoved._

 _Molly frowned at Ron. "I've told you not to say that how many times?" she demanded. "Quit saying that!"_

 _The red-haired man gave Estella a swat, and she pouted, looking over at the oldest brothers, who looked away. Percy was hiding behind his book, and the twins were grinning in anticipation. Ron gloated, "Ginny got a paddling! Ginny got a—"_

 _Estella turned to give him her most deadly glare. "I'm not Ginny!" shrieked the child, and jumped from her father's lap, glaring straight into the eyes of the youngest brat of her adopted family. "I won't be Ginny. I'm just always 'stella! And I hate you, and I wish you would—" she broke into Parseltongue without knowing it, and the entire Weasley family stared at her in dumb horror as they listened without understanding to a toddler tell Ron to go die in the worst ways possible. "I hate you," she hissed at him in Parseltongue, coming closer to him._

 _Ron looked terrified, backing away from her, not knowing why she was hissing at him without speaking. "Stop!" he cried as her magic crackled very close to him._

 _She smiled, and he screamed, falling to the floor and writhing in pain as she held out her hands as her birth mother had trained her, keeping her Curse focused on the filthy brat that dared to taunt her. She heard the man shouted her real name over the brat's screams, and she heard the woman shrieking in fury and terror._

 _Hands grabbed her when she let up the Curse and the toddler realized that the woman had picked her up in her arms. "No!" Estella shrieked angrily, trying to kick the woman. Molly swatted her, and the little girl almost began to cry, the blow had come so quickly and so hard. "I hate you!" she screamed, and saw the oldest two brothers staring at her in horror, fear in their eyes. They were afraid of her, and she felt sorry for the smallest amount of time before she felt the woman swat her again and began to scream as she received a harsh spanking._

 _"_ _Mummy!" Estella screamed, tears leaking out of her unwilling eyes and running down her cheeks. "Why? I hate them! I hate you!" She kicked at Molly, hearing a gasp and getting away a little before the woman pulled her back. "Mummy!" she shrieked as the woman began the punishment where she'd left off. "Mummy, you left me to them! Nooooo!"_

 _"_ _Mother! Mother, stop!" came a terrified, young voice, but Molly pushed her third child back, finishing Estella's punishment._

 _The child lay limp in the woman's arms, sobbing her heart out, abandoned, in pain, and hated. "I don't know what I saw in you, you horrid child," Molly hissed through gritted teeth, and though the younger Estella didn't understand, the older one did. The child sobbed harder, ignoring the words that made no sense to her._

 _Ron was still screaming, and Arthur looked up from his youngest son. "Molly, I think I should take him in to St. Mungo's. I'll return later." He lifted the boy in his arms and began to leave, but Molly stopped him._

 _"_ _What should I do with the girl?" Molly demanded. "What?"_

 _"_ _I think you already punished her," Arthur told her, and left with Ron._

 _The woman looked at the sobbing girl, who glared up at her even through her tears, hatred coursing through the little child. "Perhaps I did, but I doubt it will make much difference," she muttered to herself. Turning to the boys, she said, "Bill, you're in charge. Charlie, help him with the twins and don't you dare cause trouble with them. Fred, George, I expect you to behave for Bill or I will broom you when I return."_

 _Estella shrieked as Molly grabbed her cloak and headed for the door, but no one said anything to her, and she sobbed. As Molly was prying her hands from the door jam to get her out of the Burrow, Estella looked up through her tears and saw Percy, standing alone in the middle of the room, tears running down his cheeks. Fred and George stood together, frozen in horror, their arms around each other._

 _Then, Molly overpowered the child, and with a scream of rage, Estella felt an apparition. She recognized St. Mungo's when they arrived, and instantly, her screaming and shrieking stopped as she looked around. She saw a few people that her real parents knew, and wiped her tears away, knowing her mother would have disapproved._

 _The woman who held her was talking to someone at the counter, and moments later, someone called for them. They followed the Healer to a room where Molly set Estella down on a bed and told her to stay. Estella sat there, looking over at the Healer curiously, having always wondered what they were like._

 _Moments later, the Healer came over a knelt in front of her, telling her that she was a beautiful child. Estella looked into the Healer's eyes, wondering if the new woman could be trusted. The Healer rose and began to braid Estella's hair, marveling at how long the toddler's hair was. Neither the toddler nor the red-haired woman said anything, and the Healer quickly helped Estella into a new robe, making the toddler scowl at it._

 _"_ _She's ready," the Healer said quietly. "We'll just wait for the potion to be brought in. Are you sure you want to do this, Molly?"_

 _"_ _Absolutely," Molly said firmly. "She took it upon herself to Curse her next older brother just a few minutes ago. A concentrated wandless Curse at two years old, Anna. That's not right! Something has to change!"_

 _Estella looked up at them, an unknown fear coming over her as they talked. Another Healer came in, bearing a potion, and the first Healer knelt, saying, "Here, darling, drink this."_

 _She looked down into it, then shook her head. "No. Daddy says no."_

 _Molly looked extremely exasperated. "Ginny!"_

 _"_ _I'm not Ginny," Estella said dully, turning away from the potion. "Daddy said no drinking bad potions. I won't."_

 _"_ _But you need this, darling," the Healer said softly._

 _"_ _No," Estella replied firmly, turning her back to the Healer. "And I'm not your darling."_

 _Someone grasped her arm, and Estella shrieked, realizing that the woman had turned her back to the potion. The second Healer stepped forward to assist, and together, she and the woman held the dark-haired toddler down as they made her drink the potion, or drown in it. Estella glared up at the red-haired woman. "I won't forgive you," she said before her eyes closed in sleep._

* * *

Ginny woke up from sobbing in her sleep, her magic crackling wildly around her. "Mummy!" she shrieked before remembering that no one could hear her through her ward and that her mother was far, far away. Looking at the clock, Ginny realized that it was the middle of the night, and also that two of the five girls in the dorm room were watching her ward and biting their lips.

One of the girls was Hermione, and she reached out, touching the magic of the ward with her fingertips. Ginny brought down the ward, looking up at Hermione as tears streamed down her face. "Ginny," Hermione whispered softly, coming over and taking the dark-haired girl into her arms. "Ginny, what's wrong?"

"Mum," she sobbed into Hermione's shoulder. "Mum!"

"Your mum's at the Burrow," Hermione tried to comfort her. "You're at Hogwarts. Do you need me to get you someone, or something? Did you have a bad dream?"

Ginny sobbed harder into Hermione's shoulder, a loud sob escaping her and echoing in the otherwise silent dormitory. Hermione hugged her, rocking her back and forth gently.

The younger girl wanted her real mother, her adopted father, and her brother Percy all at the same time, but she was so confused by her dream— "Yes," she choked. "I had a dream, and Mum was horrible! I want Percy. Let me go."

"Ginny, he's probably sleeping," Hermione said, and received a kind of glare from Ginny that she'd never seen before as the girl stood up, wrapping her cloak around her.

"So were you, and I woke you up," Estella whispered through clenched teeth. "Thanks. I'll see you at lunch or something, Hermione." She stumbled from the room, blinded by her tears. She made it across the Common Room and up the stairs into the boys' dorm, wiping her tears away so that she could find Percy's dorm room.

Entering the room quietly, she found Percy's bed and hurried over to him, reaching through the ward and tapping his arm, fresh tears trickling down her cheeks as she realized how much he'd grown up in ten years. "Percy," she whispered, stifling a sob. He had tried to save her from Molly, and she hoped that he hadn't been punished for it. No wonder he didn't act like a proper Gryffindor: the Weasleys surely made that look good.

Percy blinked sleepily, then opened his eyes and reached for his glasses, looking up to see his sister looking down at him, crying, her hair black as midnight. "Stel?" he said softly. "What happened? Did someone curse you again?"

"I had a dream," she choked, trying to keep her voice down. "My memories that have been unlocked again are being released through dreams, I guess. I dreamed about the time that I tortured Ron with _Crucio_ —" she sobbed, unable to go on, and Percy reached up, pulling her through the ward so that she was sitting beside him on the bed.

"I'm so sorry," he told her softly. "That was a horrible time in your life, Stel."

"You even tried to help me," she wept, clinging to him. "You tried to help, but nothing could have helped at that point. I didn't know your dad ever loved me like that, Percy!"

Percy cuddled his sister, nodding. "He loved you, no matter what you did," he told her. "You were the little girl that he'd chosen for his daughter, and he loved you, protecting you from a lot of things in our home." Estella sobbed, and Percy drew her onto his lap, allowing her to lean her head against his shoulder. "He still loves you like that," Percy told her gently, "but you'll need to let him know that it's all right. You changed when your memories were hidden."

Ginny sniffled, tears still trickling down her face, but she sighed deeply and wiped them away. "Can I stay here with you until morning?" she asked him, her eyes full of tears again. "Please? I don't want to go back to my bed."

Percy nodded, then allowed Ginny to slip under the sheets with him, helping her get comfortable as he held her close. "I'm sorry about it all," he murmured. "I wish I could change how it all turned out, but I can't do anything."

"No child should have anyone say that to her," Ginny sobbed, pounding her fist on the mattress. "No child!"

"Say what?" Percy asked in trepidation.

"Your mother was talking about when she and Dad chose me from the orphanage," Ginny wept bitterly. "She said, ' _I don't know what I saw in you, you horrid child.'_ Percy, she said that to me!" She shook with violent sobs, and Percy sat up slightly to hold her better, astonished at her memory. "No child should suffer hatred from one who should love him!" she sobbed. "Molly's always hated me. Why didn't she just take me back to the orphanage? Why didn't she?"

Percy held Estella close, sighing over her. "Stel, I didn't think you would remember that," he murmured quietly. "That's one thing that's always made us doubt our mother: Bill, Charlie, and I, I mean. When she said that, it kind of destroyed the image of her that was in my mind. I think she could rival the worst mothers the Wizarding World has ever seen."

Estella nodded again, sniffling. "Especially the ones that adopt. Percy, I was only two, and I accepted Dad because I knew that I probably wouldn't see my real parents again. Dad loved me at first sight, and no one else did." She looked up at Percy, then whispered, "It made me feel so unloved." Her shoulders shook, but she did not sob.

"Father loves you, I love you, Bill and Charlie love you, and Fred and George even love you in their own brotherly way," Percy told her, holding her firmly. "They won't let anything happen to you that they can prevent, and Merlin help anyone who gets in their way."

"Yes," she smiled weakly, "but it hurts to remember."

Percy nodded, looking down. "You've probably got other memories coming, too," he said. "Do you think you'll have any more tonight?" She shook her head and shuddered, and he lay back down, pulling the sheet and blanket up again. "Good. Good night, Estella. I love you. And I love Ginny, whenever she decides to make her appearance again."

Giggling strangely because she'd just been crying, Ginny snuggled up against her brother, trying to go back to sleep. Thankfully enough, she was tired out enough by the hurt of her memory that she was able to drift off very quickly.

* * *

She was awakened the next morning, Percy shaking her gently. "Stel, wake up. You've got to get back to your own dorm room. Come on."

"N—no!" she pleaded, trying to hide her face under the blanket.

"Stel, come on," Percy insisted. "You've got to go. The other boys will be waking up soon. I accidentally slept in because I took off the Waking Charms when I allowed you in. Wake up!"

Estella sat up sleepily, seeing her brother rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?" she yawned.

He grinned in embarrassment. "Nine thirty on a Saturday morning," he answered. "I missed my rounds this morning." She gaped at him in shock, but he merely slipped his arms around her and gave her a hug. "I love you."

She hugged him back, then asked, "May I use your owl to send Bill a letter?"

"Sure," he replied. "I won't be needing it until next week to send a report to Mum." He glanced away from her.

"Have Fred and George write it," Estella told him. "I'll instruct them to write a decent letter, and then we'll put a prank in it."

Percy frowned. "Now, I'm not sure I should allow that," he said.

Estella smirked. "You will know nothing about it, and if Molly happens to say anything, you will scold anyone she accuses of childish pranks. Okay?"

He chuckled and shook his head at her. "Fine. Now move along. I've got to get to the library, then go down for lunch, then head up the detention for those two brats that cursed you."

Estella slipped off the bed, and a boy shrieked, "Bloody—there's a girl in here!" She turned toward the voice just in time to see a boy dart behind the nearest bedcurtains, clad only in his boxers.

Percy broke his ward in time to see the other three boys all staring at Estella. "Weasley?" said Wood, eyebrow raised. "Never thought it of you. Such a young girl—"

"She's my sister!" Percy snapped, and Ginny charmed her hair, blushing furious at Wood's accusation.

"The Head Boy sleeps with his sister," chuckled another boy.

Ginny hexed him without a second thought, bogeys attacking his face. The boy went down, clutching at his face. The other boys stared at her in shock, and Percy undid her hex, looking nonchalant. "If you spread rumours, I'll curse you for real," she threatened, glaring at the boy she'd hexed. "And stop talking like that."

The third boy yawned, ruffling his hair. "So...why was your hair black, Weasley?"

"Colour-changing Charms," Ginny answered promptly. "I got inspired in Transfig."

"How do you get inspired to do Charms by Transfig?" Woods asked with a frown.

Ginny shrugged. "Can't explain it. But...our Transfig class is with the Ravenclaws, and they were turning rocks into beetles, and the girl I was sitting with had about thirty different coloured beetles running around her desk, and it made me think of hair colour for some reason. So I've been experimenting."

The boy who'd dived behind the bed came out, completely dressed, his ears still red. "You're the one who Transfigured or Charmed your dorm mates' bedsheets and their House crests, aren't you? And the girls couldn't change them back."

Ginny smirked and nodded. "Yes," she answered, "but I've got to go. I've got trouble to cause, people to hex, etc..."

The boys laughed, and Percy closed the door behind her as she left the room. She hurried across the room in her pajamas, various Gryffindors staring at her since she was coming from the boys' dorm in her pajamas. Once back in Hermione's room, she found Lavender still asleep and rolled her eyes at the girl, quickly getting dressed before she headed back down to the Common Room.

None of her friends were anywhere to be seen, so she decided to head down to the library, figuring she owed a half explanation to Hermione, anyway. She found the brown-haired girl at a table with a couple Ravenclaws, but sat down anyone.

Hermione looked up, then asked, "Oh, Ginny, are you all right? I've worried about you all morning, but I didn't dare check on you."

"I'm all right," Ginny told her. "My dream just upset me. I've never seen Mum act that way, and I just needed reassurance—" Ginny looked down, once again wishing she could see her real mother. "Percy helped me calm down. He knew exactly what to say and how to help."

"You looked terrified and furious all at once," Hermione said, biting her lip. "I was really worried, Ginny."

"They're my dreams," Ginny sighed. "They can't hurt me."

"But they can haunt you," Hermione persisted. "Um, they don't have anything to do with First Year, do they?"

Ginny shook her head, frowning. "More like the first few years of my life," she answered. "Skewed visions of fights I had with my brothers when I was younger, and how Mo—Mum—reacted to them." Ginny mentally kicked herself for almost saying "Molly" again. "I'm fine."

Hermione looked at Ginny searchingly, then said, "If you're sure."

"I am," Ginny replied. "But I might have more dreams like it coming up. I had quite a few fights with my family before I came to school."

"I can't imagine fighting with my family," Hermione sighed. "I've seen it over and over again, but—it just doesn't seem normal!"

"Because you're a perfect child," Ginny shrugged, then grinned at Hermione's expression of indignation. "Honestly, though. If you had brothers and sisters, it might be different. Didn't you even have cousins?"

"Not really," Hermione said. "None that I saw very often. And they were kind of wary of me, because I always insisted that they not use my special cup that I'd charmed to change colours when it had a hot drink in it. They didn't know what to make of me, I guess."

Ginny smiled, then opened one of her books, and began to study.


	31. Twin Brothers and Double Lives

As Ginny left the library for lunch, Tom called to her. _Ginny, you should hear what I've found out about the Lestrange twins. You can even hear them tell it through the Security Room. Come down to the Chamber after lunch._

Ginny smiled excitedly as she walked beside Hermione. _Okay. I'll be there. If I can shake Hermione._

 _They'll probably go to Hagrid's or something_ , Tom told Ginny. _It's fine._

And it was fine. After lunch, Hermione headed back to the library, apparently still not speaking to Ron or Harry because of the situation with the cat and the rat. Ginny headed to the nearest deserted bathroom, the third floor corridor one that had been so familiar first year. She opened the Chamber and quickly tapped her wand on the pipe, the stairs opening up in it. Stepping inside, she hissed the entrance closed before hurrying down the steps.

As she passed the serpent guardians, they hissed a welcome to her, and she hissed back her thanks and a greeting as she strode by. She hurried toward the Security Room, Tom joining her in the Main Room on the way.

"I watched them almost the whole time they were with their cousin Meris," Tom told her. "Now I want to show you what I saw."

"The room can show the past as well?" Estella asked in surprise.

"Yes," Tom replied. "It can show you any of the past that has happened since Salazar created the Chamber of Secrets."

"Even back to the Founder Era?" she frowned, and he nodded. A wicked smile broke across her lips. "Awesome!"

Tom laughed at her exclamation, then cautioned her, "You do need sleep, and you also need to make sure your homework gets down. We're already near the end of January, you know. Exams are coming quickly, and if you fall asleep in the library, or miss an exam because you fell asleep watching something that happened fifteen hundred years ago, I will not be pleased with you."

Estella pouted. "It's not my fault you showed it to me!"

"But I expect you to use your good sense with it!" Tom said. "And seriously, where did you learn to pout?"

"From me," she grinned at him as they entered the Security Room. "I dreamed about torturing Ron last night. My memories are coming back to me in dreams. It infuriated me. I never knew Molly could be so terrible."

"I don't think you know the half of it," Tom said. "She was _such_ a perfect little brat in her school days. She was a prefect, too. Did you know that she was in the same year as Rodolphus Lestrange, a year before Bellatrix?"

"No," Estella shook her head. "That would have been very interesting. "Maybe I should look into that. See if there's anything I can annoy Molly with from that."

Tom grinned and nodded, then turned to the room. "Last night, Slytherin Common Room, discussion with Lestrange twins." He glanced at Estella and said, "Remember that we're not actually there. And also, the more specific you are, the better the room can handle your request."

Estella nodded as the Slytherin Common Room formed around them, various Slytherins gathered around the two small dark-haired boys who were sitting beside their cousin Meris. She plopped down on the floor, leaning against the couch where the three Lestranges were sitting, listening.

 _"_ _Yes, Malfoy," said the one boy, "you and Meris are our closest free relatives. First cousins, both of you."_

 _"_ _One from the mum's side, one from the dad's side," chuckled the other boy._

 _"_ _But how is this possible?" Corin asked. "I mean, they're in Azkaban—" his cheeks turned red, and there was laughter all over the Common Room._

 _The first twin laughed, then answered, "Mum was already carrying us when she was incarcerated. We don't know if our Father even knows we exist."_

 _The other twin shook his head. "We don't even know exactly what day we were born," he said. "Our adopted parents told us that we were born in Mum's cell, but that we weren't discovered until several days to a couple weeks later."_

 _Lauren Avery raised an eyebrow. "She kept you with her that long before they found out? Didn't they know she was expecting?"_

 _"_ _That's something else we don't know," sighed the second. "We were told that we required special care from St. Mungo's after we were discovered in Mum's cell. Supposedly the two of us almost died, being weak and sickly."_

 _"_ _No wonder you're so short," Theo laughed, and the first twin frowned at him._

 _"_ _Ro doesn't like short jokes," said the second. "Never has. I suggest you don't use them on him."_

 _Theo shrugged, and the one who must have been Karntaan said, "But we do know that she's in the really tall South Tower that no one really ever goes into, except to make sure nothing's wearing down. Aimee—that's our adopted Mum—told us that Mother was frantic when the authorities finally discovered us. She knew we needed help, I guess."_

 _Ro rolled his eyes. "All Lestranges need help." He glanced at Meris accusingly. "Except you. You haven't been to Azkaban."_

 _"_ _You must be so proud," Meris replied, and the twins laughed, others joining in._

 _"_ _Aimee says Mum was in such bad shape that_ she _had to have treatment at St. Mungo's too," Karntaan shrugged. "She had some sort of disease that girls get after having babies. I didn't ask."_

 _More laughter came from the others, and Lauren looked slightly concerned. "She must have been in bad shape if they took her to St. Mungo's for treatment. There is an infirmary in the prison, but they may have not been able to handle her case if it had gone on for over a week."_

 _The twins shrugged. "Like he said," Rohan repeated. "We didn't ask."_

 _"_ _So, how did you end up with the Wesley Averys?" asked Cherea._

 _"_ _Mum decided that's who she wanted us to stay with, or so we were told," said Karntaan. "I don't know what she was thinking."_

 _"_ _Who knows how she thinks?" Draco rolled his eyes._

 _"_ _Yeah," Samantha added. "And, was she in Azkaban when she said where she wanted you two to stay, or was she in St. Mungo's when she made the decision?"_

 _Ro sighed. "We don't know. There is so much we don't know, that only our mother can tell us. And really, until the Dark Lord returns, we won't be in any position to ask her."_

 _Megan frowned. "So...why do you think you were sent to stay with a blood-traitor family?"_

 _"_ _They're not blood-traitors," snapped Karntaan and Rohan together, glaring at her as Lauren turned to glare at the redhead. "They are Slytherins who merely prefer to keep to themselves, keeping a low profile. Unlike some."_

 _"_ _Why are you looking at me?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow, and Alvin snickered._

 _"_ _Malfoy, everyone knows you've got a mouth bigger than a dementor's maw," Alvin told Draco. "You don't seem to know the meaning of 'low profile.'"_

 _Pansy, Samantha, and several other girls shrieked with laughter, and Theodore looked on, his expression blank although his brother had just insulted Draco Malfoy._

 _Karntaan interrupted before a fight could start. "Anyway," he said, "we're just waiting on the Dark Lord."_

 _"_ _Not going to go looking for him?" Tracey sniggered, and other students laughed again._

 _"_ _Nooo," said Ro, shaking his head. "Nope. I've heard the Dark Lord should be back within a couple years. Don't know where that idea came from, but it's been circulating."_

 _"_ _But we have a question," Karntaan said, ignoring the looks of fear and trepidation some of the other students were giving each other. "Is it true that the Parkington girl was raised by Weasleys?"_

 _Draco snorted with laughter. "Yes, and she acts like one."_

 _Brianna glared at Draco. "You don't help anything when you're taunting her about them! You really do have a big mouth, you know. You'd think that your father_ might _have taught you a little subtlety, Malfoy!"_

 _"_ _So, she does come around here?" Ro asked, raising an eyebrow._

 _"_ _Yes," Megan answered. "And she's usually with the Charleston twins, although she does speak to the rest of us. Obviously, she and Draco have some conflicts."_

 _No one laughed._

 _The twins finally sighed and stood. "This was better than the interrogation we received in the Headmaster's office. They checked us for the Dark Mark. Honestly. The paranoia of some people. You'd think Dumbledore's gone senile."_

 _The Common Room erupted in laughter as the Lestrange twins headed up to their dormitory_.

"Tom!" Estella said in alarm, turning to him. "What do they want with me? And oh my goodness, they insulted Draco!"

"Seems like most Lestranges don't like him," Tom commented. "Could be that the Lestranges could be your best mates while you're here at school. I mean, the best friends that are boys."

Estella nodded, laughing. "I can't believe they heard that the Dark Lord is supposed to return within a couple years. I only told my father—" she stared at Tom in horror. "He believed my dream, didn't he? Tom, you can't trust my dreams!"

Tom shrugged. "I'd trust the one you had last night. And, Estella, if what you told me about your dream last summer is true, you described the dining hall of Malfoy Manor. I think that probably startled your father, because, to my knowledge, you've never seen anything of Malfoy Manor but the picture of the staircase in the _Daily Prophet_."

"Prophecy in dreams?" she whimpered. "No!"

"You don't have to tell anyone," Tom reassured her. "But I'm certain that's why your parents left so suddenly. Each Death Eater that was there left to most likely set their House in order for the return of the Dark Lord."

"Oh no," she whispered."

Tom grasped her hands and she looked up at him, worried. "It is better for them to be partially ready for His return, rather than for them to be caught off guard. They all know that the Dark Lord is to return. Ignoring the facts is just plain stupidity."

Estella looked down, then said, "Can we see another random happening, Tom?"

"What would you like to see?" Tom asked her, raising an eyebrow. "You've got to be specific. This room can show you anything—including students showering."

"Have you watched that?" Estella asked, watching his face.

"Of course not," Tom spat. "Don't be ridiculous."

She thought a moment, then said, "Maybe something about Bill or Charlie when they were here? Oh, I know. Something about Charlie and Nymphadora. I heard they were best friends at school."

Tom rolled his eyes. "You would choose something like that." He turned to the room once again. "Charlie Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks, three years ago."

They waited as the room changed, and Estella gasped, realizing that they were in the Hufflepuff Common Room after lights-out.

 _"_ _Nicely done, Tonksie," Charlie laughed quietly, the two sitting side by side on one of the sofas. "Do you think he'll find out?"_

 _"_ _No," Tonks grinned at him, pushing back her green and black hair. "I just hope, if anyone finds out, it won't hurt my chances to be an Auror."_

 _Charlie wrinkled his nose and shook his head at her. "Snape's smart, but not that smart. And I doubt he'd hurt your chances any."_

 _Tonks sighed. "You weren't there," she said emphatically, slapping her hand down and sending a letter flying off of her lap. "You don't know how he said it! He doesn't like me!"_

 _"_ _He doesn't like anyone except Slytherins," Charlie consoled her,_ Accio- _ing her letter._

 _"_ _When he sees it," she snorted, hiding her face in her hands as she giggled silently, "he's either going to jump out of his skin, or kill it."_

 _"_ _Kill his skin?" Charlie asked, eyebrow raised.  
Tonks laughed harder, and Charlie hushed her, touching her shoulder warningly. "I'm sure it'll be fine," he told her when she lifted her face after a moment. "You just think too much." He grasped her hands in his, then leaned closer to her, kissing her gently just as her eyebrows shot toward her hairline in alarm._

 _Moments later, Charlie drew back and looked at her. She looked down at their hands, her hair hiding her face. She reached one of her hands up to her face a moment later, and finally looked up at him when he asked, "Tonks?"_

 _"_ _Charlie," she whispered, looking miserable, "I don't love you."_

 _"_ _Are you sure?" he replied, looking into her eyes. "Because I love you."_

 _"_ _No!" she sounded wounded, and said, "Charlie, please—"_

 _He squeezed her hand and said, "Yes. I love you, and I want you to marry me."_

 _She looked hurt and pulled her hands away as discretely as she could. "Charlie, I don't love you like that," she whispered, her large black eyes pleading for him to understand. "I—you're my friend. But—I don't feel—there's just nothing there!"_

 _The red-haired boy looked into her eyes, seeing truth. "Dora—"_

 _"_ _Don't call me Dora," she whispered, feeling terrible at his reaction._

 _"_ _Sorry," he muttered. "Are you sure?"_

 _"_ _Yes," she answered again, then stood, feeling extremely awkward._

 _He jumped up and said, "Tonks, if you ever—if you change your mind, I'll be waiting for you."_

 _She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, then stepped around him and hurried from the Common Room, tears not seen by Charlie beginning to run down her face._

"Nymphadora Tonks, lock," Tom ordered the room. "Charlie Weasley, lock." Estella was too in shock to say anything at all.

 _Charlie sank down onto the couch and buried his face in his hands, groaning her name in anguish. "I love you," he whispered to the silence, then picked up her letter._

 _Nymphadora quickly moved along the corridor, Disillusioning herself as she left the Common Room. She could not be seen. Finding an empty classroom, she allowed herself to cry, but her storm of grief spent itself quickly and she wiped her tears away, morphing to hide the evidence of her emotion._

 _Leaving the room, she morphed again, becoming slightly taller, her hair turning black and spilling down her back. Her eyes glittered black as her body morphed to look older, more developed, and she smirked slightly as she grasped her wand._

 _When she arrived in the Slytherin dungeons, she pronounced the password, drawing the rune symbol on the wall to open the door. She entered the Common Room, and found someone waiting for her._

 _"_ _Castella," he said, smirking. "You've come back. I wondered if you would. It is the last week before you leave Hogwarts forever."_

 _"_ _What?" she raised an eyebrow. "Isn't this your last year as well? Or did you fail your Newts like I thought?"_

 _He laughed derisively. "No, dear," he said softly. "I wanted us to have our rematch. You promised, remember?"_

 _She looked down her nose at him. "If I made any such promise, I was not myself at the time."_

 _"_ _But you promised," he laughed at her, and she hissed at him through her teeth. "Then come on," he smirked, brandishing his wand. "Let's get to it."_

 _Magic exploded in the Slytherin Common Room, curses and hexes flying through the air as the two broke into a furious duel. The young woman's eyes flashed as she dueled coldly, her opponent smirking and laughing. They did not taunt each other, but between his smirking and her taunting eyes, words were unnecessary._

 _Unfortunately for Nymphadora (or Castella, as he called her), she tripped and fell, landing flat on her back. He was instantly over her, his wand pointed directly into her face. "Surrender," he told her, tossing his dark hair out of his eyes. "Or die."_

 _She laughed, and he dropped down beside her, leaning across her to whisper directly into her ear, "Want a rematch?"_

 _"_ _No," she breathed, slipping her arm around him and grasping a handful of his hair as he looked down at her seriously. "Melvin, you're a brat."_

 _"_ _And you're a—" he leaned down and kissed her heatedly, the two seeming to fight for dominance during their embrace. She moaned softly against his lips and he kissed her harder, fiercely, deeply. "I wish you would share magic," he whispered in her ear, and she clutched him tightly._

 _"_ _I told you I want to keep my magic pure," she said breathlessly into his smirking face. He kissed her playfully, and she said, "Stop. Stop, Melv, stop!"_

 _Her words only encouraged him, and she grasped him more tightly until he drew back, now whispering, "Won't you allow what you want, Castella? It_ is _the last week of our lives at school."_

 _Castella leaned her head back on the floor, her eyes closed, her dark hair fanned out around her. "I promised my mother before she died that I'd abstain from physical encounters until I was married—oh!"_

 _The young man had pressed his lips to her neck. "Really? Doesn't this count? Does it?"_

 _He pressed kisses to her neck, and she moaned, "Melv, please!"_

 _"_ _Please what?" he laughed softly, looking down into her eyes. "Less, or more?"_

 _"_ _Brat," she pouted, closing her eyes so that her long, dark eyelashes were obvious against her pale skin. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. Unless you're more thick-headed than I thought."_

 _Laughing, he lay his head on her chest, and she sighed, hugging him to herself. "I'm going to miss you," she said to him._

 _He smiled. "You don't have to miss me," he said softly. "You could become my wife."_

 _Her heart pounded fiercely. "Melvin," she whispered, hugging him more tightly. "Oh, Melvin!"_

 _The boy sat up and looked into her face. "Then you will," he said joyfully, catching her hands in his. "Castella—!"_

 _"_ _No," she said, and he stared down at her, shocked. Tears once again spilled out of her eyes, raining down as he watched her, shattered. "I can't."_

 _"_ _I've never seen you cry," he said, at a loss for what to do. "Please don't, Castella. What do you mean?" She just cried, so he drew her into his arms and held her close. "Even though we became a couple just so that no one would bother you, I've fallen in love with you, darling." She wept harder, and he leaned his head against hers, sighing._

 _"_ _I do love you," she whispered through the rain, "but I can't marry you."_

 _He looked into her tear-bright eyes. "Is there someone else?"_

 _She shook her head. "Sorry," she whispered, trying to wipe her tears away. "I—I should go." She tried to get up, but he wouldn't release her. "Melvin, please," she wept, very close to beginning to sob aloud. "Please let me go. I'll only hurt you."_

 _"_ _Castella, don't just walk away," he pleaded with her as she cried distantly. "I want you to be mine."_

 _"_ _I can't!" she sobbed, then buried her face in his robe to stifle her sobs. "Please, please, let me go!"_

 _He let her go, looking at her, and she knew he was hurt. "Your father hadn't betrothed you to another before he died, did he?"_

 _She shook her head, then wiped her tears away yet again. "No. Melvin, please—please don't hate me. Know that I do love you: I just can't—I don't want the same things you want, and—you deserve better."_

 _"_ _Better?" he said in shock. "Better than you? I don't think there is any such thing, Castella."_

 _"_ _There are much better women then I, Melvin," she whispered, looking into his eyes. "Honest, good women. You need one of those. You're a decent boy, Melvin. Please don't go Dark." She turned and ran desperately out of the Slytherin Common Room._

"Enough!" sobbed Estella, and threw herself into Tom's arms, crying heartbrokenly.

"Oh, goodness," grumbled Tom, holding her. "Come off it, Ginny. Obviously Tonks is over him—them."

"What was she doing?" Estella wept. "Why did she do that to them? I never knew that Charlie proposed to her! And why did 'Melvin' call her Castella?"

Tom sighed, then led the girl out of the room. "Castella is probably Tonks' Slytherin alter-ego," he said. "She did look a lot like Bellatrix just then. Except for when she was crying. Bellatrix doesn't cry; she Curses."

Ginny looked up at Tom. "But why did she turn the second boy down if she said she loved him?" she whispered.

"Think about the Tonks you know, Stel," Tom said firmly. "Melvin, whoever that was, had no idea who she really was, most likely. That's probably why she was so overcome when he proposed to her. She couldn't go into a marriage so deceivingly. It was against her Hufflepuff code of honour. Obviously, Melvin knew that she would make good on her promises, even if she'd made the promise under the Imperius."

"Where did you get that?" Ginny gasped, staring at him.

"She said that she hadn't been herself, remember?" Tom reminded her. "In Slytherin House, that usually means that _Imperio_ has been used. If she said she didn't love Charlie, then undoubtedly she would have turned him down. Hufflepuffs don't marry lovelessly, even if it is one-sided. They were just friends, it looked like, and I don't think Nymphadora wanted to be anything more than that with him."

Ginny shook her head. "The lies she told those Slytherins," she breathed. "I didn't know she was capable of that."

Tom sighed. "Ginny, Tonks is a half Black. You know that, yet you marvel at her ability to deceive. Don't you remember? She told you and those Hufflepuff friends of yours that she's worn the Slytherin House crest when it was necessary. Of course she's been down to Slytherin as someone else! Probably many, many times, too."

"She was devastated," Ginny sighed, thinking of the younger Tonks crying and running from the dungeon.

"Ah, yes, there's another thing," Tom said. "He probably wanted to join the Dark Lord, and her ambition was to be an Auror. That would have made her deny him as well. And, you heard her say that he deserved better. She probably meant he deserved a pureblood."

"Tom Riddle!" she snapped, but he held up his hand and she fell silent.

"I'm not insulting her," Tom said quietly. "She honestly felt that he should keep his line pure. And she was probably bitter over the fact that she was a half-blood. I wonder how much she really struggled with her blood-status."

Ginny sighed, her face against his robe. "Poor Tonks. She really struggled in her younger years."

Tom nodded. "And she'll struggle when the Dark Lord returns, bringing all the incarcerates with him. It'll be an embarrassing disaster for her, probably. Bellatrix will hate her, obviously."

Estella stepped back and shook herself. "I've got to go finish my homework. Thanks, Tom."

"You're welcome," he answered, and let her go.

She left the Chamber quickly, heading to the Slytherin Common Room.

* * *

Ginny sent Bill the letter that she'd written asking him what had happened in the tombs. She didn't tell anyone what she'd seen of Tonks, but kept the secrets to herself. The more she thought of Tonks, Charlie, and Melvin, the more she loved Tonks. The girl seemed to have another side to her that Ginny thought might be worth getting to know. The trouble was: how could she talk to and befriend Tonks without her cousins knowing what she was doing? Or without Tonks finding out that Ginny knew she'd turned down two proposals in one night?

Ginny rolled her eyes, finding her mind stuck on Tonks again. She'd been thinking of Tonks a lot the last few weeks after witnessing the night of proposals. Ginny had even idly thought of Tonks during the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw Quidditch match when some of the Slytherins had walked onto the field, pretending to be dementors. Harry's fully formed Stag Patronus had made Ginny wonder what Tonks' Patronus was, or if she even had one. Weren't Aurors supposed to have a Patronus?

Just then, Ginny realized that Gryffindor had won the Quidditch match. Honestly. Harry was just so good that she wanted to punch him. Everyone else was excited, however, because that meant that Gryffindor would play one of the houses (Ginny didn't remember which one besides Slytherin mattered) in the last game of the year.

After remaining in the Gryffindor Common Room a little while after the match, Ginny walked down to the Slytherin dungeons, sitting down with some of her friends. Karntaan and Rohan looked over at her and called, "Parkington, did you know that Potter could do a Patronus, or did he surprise you too?"

"I'm amazed he has the magical capacity," Draco drawled.

"Shut up, Draco," Estella told him. "You talk big for someone who just impersonated a dementor. I had no idea Harry could do a Patronus, let alone what it was. A Stag? Why a Stag?"

"Who knows?" Megan shrugged. "Who cares?"

Estella rolled her eyes. "Professor Lupin told me that the Patronus is a representation of someone's soul and may tell different things about them."

Draco propped his legs up on the table in front of him. "So...tell us about Potter?"

"I think you see as much as you want to, darling," Estella said sarcastically. "I needn't explain what I know nothing about!"

"What were you talking to Lupin for? Surely you aren't sticking around to discuss questions of general interest with him?" asked Ro, smirking.

"Of course not," Estella replied shortly. "He taught me the Patronus because I asked him. The information was part of the lesson."

The Slytherins shouted with laughter, and Karnt asked, "What is your Patronus, Stel?"

"Fox," she said. "And I've only done it twice, and that was with Professor Lupin's direct instruction."

"'Professor Lupin,'" Pansy mimicked. "You're so polite, Estella." Estella glared at her. "What does your Patronus say about you?"

"He said that a Fox Patronus could mean that I'm sly and sneak," Estella replied dully. "Don't know what he meant by that. I'd rather my Patronus be a serpent. That'd be cool. Although I'm not sure about a venomous creature being a protector."

 _Icythan protectsss missstress!_ the serpent protested, and Estella smiled.

Megan grinned as Estella amended, "Actually, it probably could be."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Make up your mind."

"I'm trying to!" she pouted. "There were dementors on the field!"

Everyone laughed at her and returned to their own doings. About to settle into finishing her homework for the approaching Monday, Estella looked up to see Marcus Flint looking down at her. "What do you want?" she asked him warily.

He smirked at her nastily. "You." She raised an eyebrow, and he said, "You will come to the Slytherin Quidditch practice next Saturday. We want to try you out as a Chaser to perhaps play against Hufflepuff in a few weeks."

Estella stared at him. "Oookay," she nodded, and he raised his eyebrows.

"I doubted you would," he said. "Don't forget, Parkington."

"Of course not," she answered, and he left.

"Oh my goodness, Stel!" squealed Megan and the Charleston twins at the same time. "A chance to play on the Slytherin team! There hasn't been a girl on the Slytherin team in years!"

She shrugged. "I'm going to try out," she said. "I don't know if I'll actually get on the team, though. But I'd like to. I'd like to play Hogwarts Quidditch instead of flying in the Weasley orchard like a wimp."

The other girls laughed, then continued talking about Quidditch for some time.


	32. Quidditch Debut

The next Saturday, Estella did show up at the Quidditch team's practice, seeing Draco and the normal Slytherin line-up that was used against Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. "Parkington!" Flint said sharply when she walked up. "You're late."

"I am not," she replied. "I arrived exactly when I wanted to."

"Nice broom," said the one she recognized to be the Keeper.

"How did you get that?" Draco asked her, eyeing the Firebolt in her hand.

Estella smirked. "I intercepted the one Daddy sent you," she replied. "And by the way, Potter got a Firebolt this Christmas, too. He flew it last weekend. Did you see it?"

"Parkington!" shouted Flint, and Estella opened her mouth, then closed it. "What were you going to say?"

"I was going to say, 'You sound like Mrs. Weasley,' but I changed my mind," Estella replied truthfully, and everyone except Flint laughed.

Flint stalked over to the box where the Snitch, Quaffle, and Bludgers were kept. "Bludgers up!" he warned, and released them. "Hope you survive this, Parkington."

She laughed, and Draco smirked, kicking off and hovering a little above the ground. "If you die," he warned her. "I'm not to blame."

"That depends on if you had anything to do with it," she retorted, kicking off with the rest of the team.

Flint tossed the Quaffle to one of the boys. "Toss," he said. "Do it as I told you."

Aaand it appeared that the boys had been told to make things as difficult for her as possible, because although they started out tossing it straight to her, they began to toss it out of her reach so that she had to fly to catch it. One of them tossed the Quaffle so far out that Estella had to fly at forty-five degrees toward the ground to make sure she caught it before it hit the ground. "Brats," she muttered to herself, but didn't holler at them.

Flint and Draco, as well as the others were staring. "You just did a mid-flight turn-over when you caught that," Flint called when she was in earshot. "Where did you learn that?"

"Flying with the Charlestons at their home," Estella replied. "But I was a lot younger. I almost fell off my broom just now."

"You must take after Potter," Draco sneered.

"Then I'll take after him, and you take after the Snitch," Estella retorted, tossing her hair over her shoulders. She threw the Quaffle to one of the boys over Draco's head, making him duck and glare at her. "Leave me alone, Malfoy. I'm a holy terror on a broom, and you're thirty feet above the ground."

The captain called for the Chasers to stop and held up the Snitch. "Once it becomes visible again," he said, "I want Malfoy and Parkington to race for it."

Estella rolled her eyes, although she was excited. "I always knew that I'd be racist," she commented before zooming off, plunging toward the ground before pulling out of her dive and shooting for the top of the Pitch, all the time keeping her eyes open for the Snitch.

"Parkington," Flint shouted at her for the third time, "while you're distracted by looking for the Snitch, I want you to practice shooting goals with Bletchley Keeping!"

"Okay!" she called back, then rocketed toward the goal hoops where Bletchley was hanging out. Several goals and saves later, she had just turned to scour the rest of the Pitch again for the Snitch when she spotted it, fluttering near the ground just on the other side of the midline of the Pitch.

Unfortunately, Draco had spotted the Snitch too, and was racing toward it from almost directly above the goals on the other side. Estella flung the Quaffle toward one of the goals, then immediately began her dive toward the Snitch. Every member of the team turned to watch as both of them hurtled toward the tiny fluttering golden ball. Estella realized that if one of them didn't pull out of their dive, the two probably would collide. She also realized that since Draco's dive was more steep and because he was closer to the Snitch, he'd probably get there first.

Refusing to let there be a huge gap between them, Estella began a furious corkscrew, rolling over and over and over, picking up speed as she came on, all the time watching the Snitch flutter near the ground. Malfoy shouted in surprise at her, momentarily distracted, but kept speeding toward the prize as well. Moments later, Estella pulled out of her corkscrew, righting her broom and zooming toward the Snitch. Malfoy was still a few feet off, but closing in fast.

Estella squared her shoulders, not giving an inch. Her eyes narrowed on the Snitch, and she rolled her broom, Malfoy zooming straight over her as she grasped the Snitch, Malfoy's hand closing upon thin air.

"She caught it!" shrieked a voice, and Estella looked toward the stands to see that Pansy was sitting there with most of the cousins.

"—maniac!" Draco shouted at Estella, seeming a bit more pale than normal.

She held the Snitch in her hand, feeling the warmth of the wings beating against her fingers. It seemed almost alive. She looked up at Draco, who was a little flushed. "I can understand why you like being Seeker. It's glorious." She looked down at the tiny Snitch again, then handed it to Flint, not looking at anyone.

Draco looked at her sideways, and she bit her lip as he hissed, "You know you can't tell any of your friends about this? They'll kill you for even _thinking_ of joining the Slytherin Quidditch team."

"I wouldn't tell them," Ginny said quietly. "And they wouldn't hurt me for being myself. Maybe. Except for Ron." She grinned a little and flew back to Flint, who had landed and was putting the Snitch away. "What next?"

"You're dismissed for this practice," Flint said shortly. "Get lost." She turned to leave, and he said, "I expect you to report for practice every Saturday morning. You're on the team."

Estella nodded, landed, and began to walk off, her broom in her hand. Most of the girls in the stand immediately joined her as she walked up to the castle. "So?" Megan asked excitedly. "Stel, you beat _Draco_ to the Snitch! Do you think you could beat Potter?"

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter how well I play. I wouldn't accept the position of Slytherin Seeker even if it was offered to me. It's Draco's place, unless he wishes to give it up—which I highly doubt will happen in his school years."

"So are you on the team?" Pansy demanded.

"Yes," Estella sighed, and the girls all shrieked.

"I can't believe it," Brianna sighed. "You're so lucky."

Megan shook her head. "Lucky? She'll get herself hexed if she shows off like that again."

Estella glared at her. "I wasn't showing off. I was picking up speed by doing the corkscrew, otherwise Draco would have been to the Snitch before me. I really didn't expect to be that close, but Malfoy almost creamed me—!"

"She's only on for the Hufflepuff match anyway," Guage shrugged. "That's what Flint said in the Common Room. They know she'll refuse to play against Gryffindor, at least for right now."

"But Stel, if they wanted you to play against Gryffindor, you eventually would, wouldn't you?" Samantha asked suspiciously.

"Eventually," Estella replied, then hushed their excited talk as they entered the Entrance Hall. The girls walked in silence down to the Great Hall, Estella handing her broom off to Megan so she wouldn't look so strange holding a Firebolt.

Laughing, the group of girls sat down together, beginning to eat lunch. Near the end of lunch, the Slytherin Quidditch team came in from practice, and Draco sat down between Pansy and Megan. "Why are you holding the broom?" he asked her.

Megan rolled her eyes. "Because I own it," she told him with a glare. "You really aren't subtle," she added in a low hiss in his ear.

Estella had glanced across to the Gryffindor table, seeing Marianne and Marlene sitting there, eating quickly. There didn't seem to be any ruffling about Megan coming into the Great Hall with a broom, and Estella was glad. She was also very glad that, since Percy had forced the two girls to clean a dusty old passage without magic or light (and with the Bloody Baron scaring them half to death), they had left Ginny alone. Estella loved Percy for his protectiveness of her, which she appreciated more now than she had when she'd been a First Year. She was almost sorry that she'd hexed him. Almost.

"Parkington," Draco said, kicking her under the table. She glared at him, then looked down, realizing he'd placed his leg over Megan's lap to kick her.

"Your legs belong to you, not Megan," she told him. "Unless, of course, she's your girlfriend. But I think twelve's a bit young, Draco." He glared back at her, then returned to sitting the proper way. Megan was blushing furiously, her ears turning red, and Pansy did not look impressed. "Anyway," Estella interrupted, "did you have something to say?"

"You were daydreaming," Draco said.

She rolled her eyes. "I was thinking," she told him. "A pasttime you, Crabbe, and Goyle should take up. Where are they, anyway?"

Draco shrugged carelessly. "Don't know," he replied. "They look after themselves."

Estella was about to comment, but stopped herself in time. She would not look down on Draco's henchmen as he did. "You hope. That's why Potter and Weasley impersonated them and sneaked into the Common Room."

Karntaan and Rohan choked at the same time on the other side of the table. "They did what?" they chorused once they'd stopped choking.

"They...did a Polyjuice impersonation of Crabbe and Goyle," Estella replied. "It was last year, and they were trying to figure out who the Heir of Slytherin was."

"Don't they know it was the Dark Lord?" Ro asked in astonishment. "Some Gryffindors!"

"All Gryffindors," Draco said, motioning to Estella, who scowled at him.

"Draco," she sighed, "if I didn't care for at least a shred of your dignity, I'd curse you right now."

He laughed at her. "Sure you would," he sneered.

She shook her head. "One day, you're going to rub me wrong, and I'm going to _lay you out_ ," she promised. "Just wait. But it probably won't be this year."

"Or any other year," Pansy interjected, looking pointedly at her cousin, warning her to shut up.

"They know _now_ ," Estella told the Lestranges. "They didn't _then._ " She looked down, knowing that the Dark Lord was not the Heir of Slytherin. "At least, that's what they think now."

"Don't you know that your father was the Keeper of the COS?" Karnt asked in a hushed voice. "That means you are now the Keeper, and are in charge of the entire Chamber!"

Estella glared at him according to Tom's orders. "Do hush before someone hears you, Karntaan." Ro looked at her, but didn't comment, returning to his food. The others left the Great Hall quickly, and Estella left with Megan and the Charleston twins, heading down toward Slytherin.

The Lestranges joined them on the other side of the passageway, flanking Estella and pushing Megan and the Charlestons aside. "So what's with the broom?" Rohan asked the girls. "I heard there was some fantastic flying during practice today."

"Well," Megan said, grinning modestly, "you won't want to miss our match against Hufflepuff. We're going to smash them."

"Good," said Karnt. "We'll win the Quidditch Cup this year! It's about time!"

"Karnt," Estella sighed, then shook her head, not wishing to go on.

"Karnt," mimicked Samantha. "Sounds like you're taking his name in vain, Stel."

Estella rolled her eyes for what seemed the fortieth time that day. "Sure," she said. "Whatever. Just as long as I can get my homework done without having to report to the Hospital Wing."

The Lestrange twins looked at her with pity, then said the password to the Slytherin Common Room together, opening it up for all of them to enter. Estella was once again reminded that a rune was needed the time Tonks went into the Common Room, and shook her head to try to get rid of the thought. Thinking of Tonks was the last thing she needed to be doing at the moment.

* * *

Throughout the next few weeks, the weather grew warmer and the snow melted off, bringing relief to many of those who had suffered colds and the flu. In the last few days of March was the Slytherin Quidditch team's last day of practice before the game against Hufflepuff. Practice was especially grueling that day, as Flint had ordered Derrick and Bole to make sure that the Bludgers were flying especially near the Chasers so that they'd have extra practice dodging. It was Estella's opinion that he was probably trying to kill— "Parkington!" he howled again as a Bludger narrowly missed her and she almost dropped the Quaffle.

"If you holler 'Parkington' at me one more time, I will hex you," she said to him coldly. "That's over twenty-five times now in this practice alone: I've counted. What is it now? Yes, I almost dropped the Quaffle because you yelled at me and disturbed my concentration when I was trying to dodge the Bludger and score at the same time. Thanks a lot."

"There's going to be a lot more distractions during the game," he snapped back at her.

"But the Hufflepuff Beaters don't bat Bludgers at _anyone_ on purpose," Estella growled, glaring at Bole. "Bole's trying to hit me because Draco put him up to it, and has been ever since I tried out."

Flint smiled. His teeth stuck out. "It's good practice," he said, then motioned her to return to practice.

Estella grumbled under her breath, vowing that her chance to curse Draco couldn't come soon enough. Several plays later after she'd scored a few goals against Bletchley, Estella almost flew directly into Draco because he was too close.

"Parkington!" hollered Flint, and Estella whirled on him, her wand already out, the Quaffle in her other hand.

" **Densaugeo**!" she shouted, hitting him full in the face with the Tooth Growing Hex. She knew her Bat Bogey Hex would have been fatal, most likely, from that high up.

Flint shouted in horror, and Estella shouted, "I suggest you land, and head for the Hospital Wing, because I'm not taking it off, and I'll curse anyone who attempts to assist you!"

Apparently he believed her, because he was landed and gone very quickly. The team all surrounded Estella, Draco seeming to be amused. "Does your surname annoy you that much?"

"Having it repeatedly shouted at me the way he does does," she replied. "I hope his teeth don't grow so long he can't walk."

Derrick shrugged. "He can run." The Quidditch team laughed together, landing and heading to the dressing room to shower before heading back up to the castle.

Estella walked up to the castle with Bletchley, who seem to be a fifth year or so. "How did they get you to play?" Bletchley asked.

"Flint asked me in the Common Room to come try out, and so I did," she replied. "I've wanted to play Hogwarts Quidditch, and now I've got my chance. I'm still stuck thinking that it's all a joke and they'll pull me and play some random Slytherin boy at the last minute."

"I doubt it," Bletchley said. "After you left the first day, Flint told Draco that you were one of the fastest Chasers he's ever seen."

"Has he seen many?" Estella joked, then grinned. "I really hope he's okay."

"Oh, stop worrying," Bletchley reassured her. "He'll live. His hide is tough."

"I didn't hex his hide," Estella said plainly, and Bletchley laughed the rest of the walk up to the castle.

* * *

Flint had recovered by the match, in fact, by the very evening she'd hexed him. From the way he glared at her in the Common Room, she could only imagine the comments he'd received on the way to the Hospital Wing. She was mildly pleased, however, to notice that, like Hermione after her hex, his front teeth were smaller and more normal sized than they'd been since she'd first met him. She guessed that that was probably why he didn't retaliate. Or...maybe it was because there was a Quidditch game coming up. Estella Parkington just counted her blessings.

The match was scheduled for a weekend near April Fool's, which was Fred and George's sixteenth birthday. Estella was excited for them, but was more excited for the Slytherin versus Hufflepuff Quidditch match. Most of the Slytherins were excited, but some of them worried that Estella would turn on them. She made every effort to stay in the Slytherin dungeons as much as she could after she heard that rumour.

Finally, the day for the match came, and Estella found herself, black hair, dressed in Slytherin Quidditch robes, waiting in the dressing room for the others to be ready. She was extremely nervous, but as far as she knew, none of the Gryffindors were aware of what Ginny Weasley was about to do, and she was glad. Estella didn't even know if any of the professors were aware of what was about to go down, and was worried that they might call playing someone from another House on the Slytherin team was illegal. That wouldn't be good, and Estella knew that most of the staff and faculty, if not all of them, knew that Ginny Weasley and Estella Parkington were the same person.

The team was finally ready, and walked out onto the field to meet the Hufflepuff team. The crowd lit up with murmurs of, "Look: it's a girl!" and "Do you think Flint needs glasses, Brandon?" and "That's definitely a girl."

Estella saw the Lestrange cousins in the third row of the Slytherin section, and all three of them gave her a thumbs-up. She smiled at them a little, still nervous, then saw her brother Percy staring at her, frozen in shock. She turned away from them, not even interested in looking at the Gryffindor section anymore.

Marcus Flint and Cedric Diggory shook hands, and Diggory said, "Is that really a girl? Did you allow a girl to play for Slytherin? I'm surprised, Flint. She's not your type."

"How would you know his type?" one of the male Slytherin Chasers said as Draco laughed, "No, his type is the brown fur with the long teeth."

"Aaand he's not talking about a cuuute, fluffy little badger," Derrick cooed.

Estella giggled, sounding a little nervous, and Diggory looked straight at her, a little confused. "Do I know you?" he asked.

"Do you?" she replied, and he blushed, stepping back and signaling Madam Hooch that his team was ready to play. Flint did the same, and both teams kicked off at the madam's signal. She released the Bludgers, making some of the team members duck, then released the Snitch, which Cedric and Draco eyed closely, Draco glaring at the Hufflepuff when it disappeared as if it were the other boy's fault. "Let the game...begin!" she called, tossing the Quaffle up between the two teams.

Estella literally felt her broom leap forward, rolling her broom as she had over and over in practice, snatching the Quaffle and flying directly under the Hufflepuff team. Immediately, the opposing Chasers were after her, and she passed over Cedric Diggory's head to Adrian, who flew toward the goalposts quickly. Montague and Estella flew around him, passing back and forth to make sure that the Hufflepuffs didn't concentrate on any of them (Flint had worried constantly about how small Estella was).

Lee Jordan was commentating, saying something about Flint not telling him who the girl was so that he couldn't research her dirty, nasty secrets. Estella thought that was fine with her. Fred jumped up in the stands and ran over to his friend in the commentator box, and McGonagall looked alarmed.

Estella ducked a Bludger, darting between two Hufflepuffs and intercepting a pass from the third, turning the other way and making a goal.

"Apparently, Fred Weasley knows this Slytherin girl," Lee Jordan said, ducking a friendly blow that didn't come. "He says her name's Estella Parkington. Never heard of her. Is she a first year? She looks about as small as those Lestrange twins..."

The Slytherins had made their fifth goal, with Estella having made one of them, mostly worked alongside them. Hufflepuff made its first goal a few moments later, but Estella didn't worry about it. Slytherin was in the point lead anyway, although the more points they got in the game against Hufflepuff, the less they'd have to worry if Gryffindor beat them in the final match.

"Does having a girl on the team make it easier to share?" Lee Jordan questioned the thin air. "Does it make teamwork easier if you have to pass to a girl? Do you wonder why Gryffindor's team has all girl chasers—"

"Shut up." Fred's voice was heard all over the stadium, and Lee stared at him.

"I really think Fred likes this girl," Lee commented, and Fred glared at him, then marched out of the commentator box just as George arrived, the two sitting down next to Percy, who was also on edge.

Estella felt terrible, but placed her feelings aside as Hufflepuff scored a third goal, gritting her teeth. "No," she whispered to herself. Catching the pass from Bletchley, the three Slytherin Chasers carried the Quaffle down the field, heading toward the goalposts. Just at the wrong time, a Bludger came careening by and startled Montague, who dropped the Quaffle. Estella dove. One of the Hufflepuffs dove, but Estella had the Quaffle and was rising. The other Bludger was coming, but she got the Quaffle off in time, and twisted her broom in a strange, but reflexive way.

Lee Jordan glanced toward the twins, then shouted, "Parkington scores for the second time! I have no idea how she got that off while she was upside-down, or inside-out, or something! I really don't know what she did! But she scored!"

Draco was smirking at her from across the Quidditch field, and she wanted to yell at him to look for the Snitch. Estella decided that she embarrassed him enough privately that she didn't need to make a public spectacle of him.

Slytherin scored twelve goals total before Hufflepuff scored their fourth goal, making the score 120-40. Flint was on the ground, watching them, ecstatic with what was happening. His teeth looked a lot better than usual. Lee Jordan just happened to comment on Flint's teeth, and seeing Estella giggle, Lee said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Parkington is laughing. Think she had something to do with the tooth job? We can only wonder what a twelve year old Slytherin girl gets up to."

"Unless you're Fred Weasley," sneered Draco. "Right, Parkington?"

"Shut up," Estella snapped at him. "I will punch you, right in front of everyone. Don't think I won't." And she was off, flying overhead of the other five chasers as Adrian and Montague interrupted the Hufflepuffs' teamwork and she worried them as she flew over their heads, her robes sometimes dragging across their hair.

The feeling of robes against their hair unnerved them, and made them dart apart from each other, almost colliding with the Slytherin boys that were flanking them. Estella ducked a Bludger, then swooped down, catching the Quaffle that Montague had tossed almost directly up to her. She made her seventh goal on that pass, and smiled as the Slytherin stands exploded with applause, her cousins shouting her name and applauding her.

"The Slytherin Quidditch team has truly improved by allowing one girl on their team," Lee commented cautiously, glancing at the Weasley twins, who were alternately watching the small girl in Slytherin Quidditch robes and refusing to watch the match at all. "I'm sure I don't know what I'm talking about, but I'm seeing skill here I haven't seen before. Ever."

The score was Slytherin 220, Hufflepuff 50. Estella was desperately attempting to steal the Quaffle again, but the Hufflepuff Chasers were guarding it jealously, wisely attempting to get more goals before the Seekers sighted the Snitch. Obviously, even if Diggory could catch the Snitch now, Hufflepuff would still lose by twenty points.

Ten points, actually. A Hufflepuff breathed a sigh of relief as he made a goal, then immediately turned to see Estella blazing down the Pitch with the Quaffle. She passed to Adrian, but the Hufflepuff Keeper saved the attempt. Montague yelled at Adrian, but Estella remained silent, even though the Slytherins exploded in annoyance.

Lee Jordan was quiet, although he announced when Hufflepuff scored another goal, bringing the score to 220, 70, meaning the Hufflepuffs could tie if their Seeker caught the Snitch right then. Unfortunately for Hufflepuff, the Snitch stayed invisible until Estella had scored three goals, both male Slytherin Chasers looking tired by this time. It seemed the young girl had lots of energy.

In the race for the Snitch, everyone watched the two Seekers, although Estella watched the Hufflepuff chasers to make sure that they weren't going to try anything during the Snitch chase. Finally, Draco Malfoy pulled up, the Snitch in his hand, and the Slytherin stands exploded in a standing ovation for their team.

"In a match with an unexpected turn of events, Slytherin wins, 400 to Hufflepuff's 70. Ouch. Sorry, Puffs," Lee Jordan said. "Better luck next time. After Parkington graduates. Bloody—where did you learn to fly, girl? On a dragon's back?"

"Good going, Parkington," Flint called to her, grinning happily as his team landed. "Excellent, Draco!"

"They're going to kill me, you know," Estella announced, seeing the murderous looks her twin brothers were giving her. "Fred's furious, and I bet George is just as happy."

Draco smirked, wrapping his arm around her and grinning at her. "Well, we'll let them, then. Come on, Parkington—Estella."

They headed off to the dressing room, Estella not moving Draco's arm from around her. She wanted to remember that moment forever, although she knew that he was probably doing it just to spite the Weasley twins and Percy. They entered the dressing room, and Draco's arm dropped from her shoulder, the Snitch still held in his hand.

"We won by three hundred and thirty points!" chortled Derrick. "We didn't even have to knock anyone off their brooms either! Parkington just unnerved them all!"

"I did my best," Estella shrugged, then slipped into one of the shower stalls, muttering, "The sooner I get out of here, the better." She had no doubt that Fred would have no qualms about cursing her, Estella Parkington or not. As she showered quickly, she could still hear the boys calling to each other about the fine points of the match, and also how Lee Jordan had reacted to the Weasleys' reaction to their newest Chaser.

Estella sighed heavily, then got out of the shower. She had made ten of the twenty-five Slytherin goals in the game, but somehow, she still felt like she'd betrayed someone somehow. She hated feeling that way, and supposed she'd only feel better after confessing to the twins and Percy. Scowling, she dried off, dressed, and re-entered the dressing room to find that most of the others had left, only Draco waiting around for her.

"Flint says the Weasleys are close by," Draco cautioned her, taking his time to comb his hair in the mirror, not looking at her. "Some of the girls are outside the door: I believe I heard at least one Charleston, Megan, and Pansy."

"Thanks," Estella said, then moved to leave.

"Aren't you going to wait for me?" he asked, turning and smirking at her.

"That depends on if you're going to preen for the next ten minutes," she shrugged. "I'd really like to leave right now, no matter if you come or not."

Draco gave her a condescending smile. "You aren't so bad, not when you're by yourself." His mirror and comb disappeared, and, grasping her broom, Estella started for the door. Draco slipped his arm around her again as they left, and heard various comments and catcalls from some in the stands. The Weasleys did not come near them, but Draco and Estella were practically inseparable until they reached the entrance to the dungeons. "You are coming down to the party, aren't you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You can't help a win like that and not celebrate!"

She nodded. "Of course I'm coming down." She walked with him almost silently as the group of excited Slytherins broke all around them, jabbering excitedly. Draco grabbed her wrist, keeping her with him.

 _He isn't_ that _protective, is he?_ she thought to herself as someone opened the Common Room door for them.

Draco led her inside, and the room exploded with Slytherin party. Drinks, music, and dance followed, and Estella abstained from drinking like she'd always been taught. Draco only left her side twice, to dance with Megan and with Pansy, who'd been looking all shades of jealous again.

Finally, the blonde boy came back to her. "Dance with me, Parkington—Estella?"

"Me?" she asked, surprised.

"No, the Estella sitting behind you," he said coolly. "Yes, you. The star Slytherin Chaser for one game. Gryffindor's going to be running scared now."

"Don't count on it," Estella told him, standing and taking his hand, her heart pounding.

The blonde boy led her to where the other dancers were, slipping his arm around her and leading her carefully until he realized she knew how to dance. "Who taught you to dance?" he asked her.

"Um, Bill, actually," Estella answered, her cheeks turning pink slightly. "Molly didn't really think it was necessary, or proper, but Bill didn't care."

"My mother taught me," Draco told her with a tiny smile. "I was five years old, but I could dance with my mum."

"That's adorable," she said, and he smirked, tightening his arm around her waist and whirling rather quickly with her.

Draco grinned, his face rather close to hers. "I'm not adorable," he said. "Dragons breathe fire."

Estella grinned back. "So says Charlie," she replied. "But I bet it only takes one wizard—or witch—to Stun this dragon." She indicated Draco, who laughed, then led her back into the dance, her right hand in his left.

"Do you hear from the older Weasleys much?" he asked, and she understood that he was attempting to mask his distaste for her adopted family. She wondered if Brianna's rebuke to him had made a difference in his attitude.

"Not really," Estella answered. "Not unless we specifically write them and ask something."

"Oh. So you really don't hear from anyone outside those that still live at home," he persisted.

She sighed. "Yes, Draco. Your point?"

He looked at her for a moment, then said, "My mum writes, but I really don't have any other family that writes to me. Even father doesn't write." He immediately looked embarrassed, and Estella glanced away, seeing the Lestranges watching her and Draco.

"Be thankful that you have a mother that loves you," she told him. "There is no substitute for a loving mother. A priceless treasure, ever. Neither of my mothers love me. I don't even know if Meretta ever loved me, but I know that Molly never did."

"You could probably become the person she wants you to be," Draco told her quietly. "Meretta, I mean. She just wants you to act like her and my Aunt Bellatrix. The two of them were about as good of friends as two Death Eaters can be."

"You think I could be like that?" Estella asked, almost insulted.

Draco merely raised an eyebrow. "Possibly. It may be that Meretta would adore you if you stopped mentioning your 'brothers' and your 'mum and dad' around her. I'm sure that rubs her the wrong way."

Estella remembered her words earlier and blushed. "Draco, about what I said earlier—"

"Forget it," he said, and Estella was surprised.

"Does playing against Hufflepuff always affect you this way?" she asked him, smirking.

"Sometimes after a match against the Puffs, I feel like hugging everyone," Draco said drily. "That's why I'm dancing with you." And he squeezed her to make a point, receiving a giggle from her.

She looked up at him curiously. "Will it last for a whole day, or fade after tonight?"

He laughed again. "Estella, as long as you mention the Weasleys as your family in my hearing, I will ridicule them in yours," he told her. "If you don't, I won't. I'll do it behind your back, which shouldn't hurt you any. They were able to deal with it before you came to school, anyway. Also, don't do anything Gryffindor, like pull brave stunts, or jump in front of a curse meant for...anyone."

"Allies?" she asked, looking straight into his eyes.

"Better than allies," he replied seriously. "But not exactly friends—oh—" he swore, and Estella turned to see Percy storm into the room, wand drawn, followed by Fred and George, wands drawn, followed by Lee Jordan, talking incessantly.

"I don't know why you won't tell me why we're going to the—oooh. Hey, Parkington," Lee broke off. "Dancing with Malfoy, I see. Somebody's coming up in the world."

"My _lunch_ is coming up," Karnt announced. "Why are there Weasleys in the Slytherin dungeons?"

Most of the students in the Common Room looked around awkwardly at the Lestrange's statement, and Lee looked insulted. "I was only—"

"You're not commentating anymore, Jordan," said Ro, rolling his eyes. "Shut up. We know what you were doing."

"Parkington," Percy said quietly, "you are wanted in Professor Dumbledore's office. Flint, he wants you as well. Snape, McGonagall, Sprout, and Madam Hooch are all meeting us there."

"Oh, no!" gasped Estella, and Draco released her to her doom. "Percy—!"

"I suggest you follow us, or lead the way, whichever you prefer," Percy said just as quietly and calmly as before. "Oh, and Diggory's there. He's protesting the whole inquiry."

Lauren stepped forward, and Fred pointed his wand at her, glaring. "Don't, you two," Estella pleaded with them. "I'll just go. It's fine."

The blonde girl looked concerned. "Are you sure, Stel?"

"Yes," Estella replied. "Thanks." She walked out of the Common Room, both her brothers following her.

"I cannot describe the horror of betrayal we felt when you walked out there on the field," Fred told Estella when they were some yards away from the Common Room. "Estella, you—you—you're just—incorrigible!"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling terrible. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I've got nothing against any of you, you know. You won't tell Ron? Or any of the others? Please?"

"But you've got to tell me!" Lee howled in protest. "That isn't fair!"

Estella glanced at him, then sighed, raising her wand and placing the charms over her hair and face. "I'm Ginny Weasley and Estella Parkington, Lee," she said. "Do you understand now? I just made it a thousand times harder for Gryffindor to win the Quidditch Cup."

Lee looked shocked, then walked on. "I see why you almost punched me for my comments," he told Fred. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't know it was Ginny!"

The twins were very upset, and George answered finally, "It wasn't her, Lee! She's not Ginny. Ginny is her adopted name. Ginny is really Estella Parkington. This is why there's a huge meeting to discuss whether or not Slytherin should forfeit the match!"

"I don't think they should," Percy said, "but that's just my idea. She wasn't forced into playing for them. Were you, Gin?"

"No," Ginny replied, "but please save the questions for the others to ask. I'll tell the answers the best I can in the Headmaster's office." The others nodded and remained quiet until they all arrived at their destination.

Estella returned her hair to black before she knocked on the door at the top of the stairs. She heard the voice inside cease, and Dumbledore called for them to come in. Estella pushed open the door and the three Weasleys filed in behind her, Lee having left after making Fred and George promise to tell him everything.

Estella walked in until she stood beside Diggory, who was seated in front of Dumbledore's desk. The Hufflepuff was about to get up when she said quickly, "Oh, don't bother yourself. Although I appreciate the gesture. I think I'd rather stand."

Diggory looked up at her, looking even more confused than he had out on the field when he'd first seen her. Diggory finally said, "There's something different about you, Parkington. The entire Slytherin team played different because of you!"

"I hope that's a good thing," Estella replied, glancing at the professors were gathered around Dumbledore's desk, facing the five students. "Trying to unseat your team members, trying to knock you to kingdom come with a Bludger—they didn't do any of that, did they? I wonder if they did that on purpose?"

"Aren't you supposed to know that if you practiced with them?" Fred asked, glaring at her.

"He never—Flint, I mean—never told them not to," Estella told them all. "It might be that they felt you weren't a threat." She shrugged apologetically at Diggory.

"Don't trouble yourself about it," Diggory told her. "That's the closest I've ever seen Slytherin come to playing fair."

Estella smiled. "They'll be worse than ever in their next game," she said.

Fred and George sighed and sank into chairs. "Ginny," George said in exasperation, "don't you understand? Gryffindor is playing Slytherin next, and we're _way_ down in point value!"

Diggory glanced from the twins to the dark-haired girl. "Why did you call her Ginny? Isn't that your sister?"

"She is our sister," Percy told the Hufflepuff.

"Estella Parkington was adopted by Arthur and Molly Weasley, who made her into their 'Ginny,'" intoned Estella.

"Then you're not even a Slytherin," Diggory said in astonishment. "No wonder you're different!"

Estella glared at him venomously. "You did not have to mention that," she hissed.

Percy turned to Ginny. "This is not about foul game play: this is about whether your playing for Slytherin, a House of which you are not a part, was legal or not. If it was not legal, Slytherin must forfeit the game. Are you protesting now, Diggory?"

Diggory was shocked, and Estella looked at him, tilting her head slightly. "Percy, leave him along," she said. "He's obviously in shock. Where's Flint? He was supposed to be coming!" She rolled her eyes when a knock sounded on the door just after her words.

Flint strode into the room on Dumbledore's word, and looked down at Diggory. "Didn't you even offer your chair to the lady, Diggory?"

"He was going to, but I told him not to bother," Estella replied, her tone keeping Flint from more taunts. "So was it legal, or not, for me to play for Slytherin?"

"I'm certain there's nothing about it in the rulebook," Madam Hooch informed the rest of them. "There is nothing about extra-House members on the teams."

"Were you forced to join the Slytherin team?" Professor McGonagall asked Ginny worriedly.

Estella looked straight at the Gryffindor Head of House. "No. They asked if I wanted to play, and I said yes. And so, I played, but only for the game against Hufflepuff."

Diggory sighed. "If there's nothing against it, and she wasn't forced, then there's really nothing that can be done," he told the professors. "It's not a big deal: I doubt the team would change their minds. The Slytherins even played fair this time, with the possible exception of playing an extra-House member."

Dumbledore smiled at Estella, and she looked back at him, wanting to glare at him and shout. She didn't, and he asked politely, "I would like to know how Ms. Parkington came to be on the Slytherin Quidditch team."

"I'd seen her talent, and heard about from others," Flint answered. "She was always in our Common Room, so I asked her to try out, then gave her a place after her try out for our match against Hufflepuff."

"And you just took it," Professor McGonagall said sharply, snapping her fingers. "Just like that?!"

"Yes," Estella replied quietly.

McGonagall's face turned red. "How could you just—?! Ginevra, loyalty—"

"—is a Hufflepuff concept," Estella finished for her. "My loyalties do not lie with Gryffindor, and if they ever did, they were false, misdirected."

Professor Sprout reassured McGonagall, who looked as if she were about to shout, then said to Estella, "Loyalty is _usually_ associated with Hufflepuff, but may show up in _every_ House, dear."

Estella looked straight at Sprout and McGonagall. "But I'm no Hufflepuff, so you can't expect Hufflepuff traits of me. I'm probably a mix of everything _but_ Hufflepuff." She rolled her eyes at the thought.

"I believe," Madam Hooch interrupted them all, "that the game points will stand as they were given during the game. I will have to consult with all the Heads of House and the Headmaster to work out what the exact limitations will be concerning extra-House members playing on other House teams. That being said, I am finished." She nodded to Dumbledore and left the room.

Professor Dumbledore dismissed Flint and Diggory, Sprout excusing herself to walk out with her Quidditch team captain. Only Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape were left, Estella and the three Weasleys standing opposite them. "Anything further to say?" Dumbledore asked them.

Fred looked up. "If we put her in the Hospital Wing, do we get detention? Or may we be excused 'cause she's kind of our sister?"

"Just punch me," Estella told them as their Head of House gave them a severe look.

"We'll come up with a better idea," they promised her, scowling. "I can't think yet," added George. "I'm still too mad, and I even understand why you did it."

Estella sighed, but the twins ignored her, leaving the Headmaster's office. Percy slipped over to her, putting his left arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against his arm, biting her lip hard to keep down all her feelings that had suddenly risen up.

"You are dismissed," Professor Dumbledore told the two quietly.

Percy and Estella were nearly to the door when she heard someone say, "Child."

She turned to see that the portrait of one of the older Headmasters who'd been watching her the entire time had spoken. She looked up at him, her mouth slightly open, her eyes curious. After a moment, she realized that it was the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black that was speaking to her. "Yes, Sir?" she asked respectfully.

"Whose daughter are you?" he asked her.

"I am the daughter of Reginald and Meretta Parkington, granddaughter of Ramea Black Parkinson," she replied quietly, looking up at him.

"Then you are my great-great-granddaughter," he told her with a slight smirk. "You do look like your mother, child."

"Thank you, Sir," she said softly, then gave a slight nod, turning and leaving the room, Percy by her side once more.

He slipped his arm around her. "Are you all right?" he asked her. She nodded, not wanting to speak, and he asked, "Are you going back down to Slytherin?"

She nodded, then whispered, "Percy, if Fred and George do curse me, don't yell at them for it." He agreed reluctantly, and she added, "I just don't feel like facing them right now."

They separated when Estella headed down to the dungeons, glad that no one had seen her and the Head Boy walking with their arms around each other. When she entered the Common Room as quietly as she could, she was greeted by shouts of praise and other things. She smiled and nodded at them, then slipped to a corner of the room, curling up and holding Icythan on her lap, stroking his scales as she fought to remain in control of herself.

"Missstress needs to sssleep," Icythan hissed, looking up at her. "Missstress is tired from the _sheisss_ ' wordsss. Icythan can help missstress sssleep, and sssleep well. He mussst jussst bite missstress..."

She looked down at him. "Okay," she said weakly. "Then bite me."

"Missstress mussst raissse Icythan to her face," instructed the serpent. "Clossse eyesss, Missstress."

Estella closed her eyes and the serpent struck, biting her lower lip and making her entire body jump. Icythan slithered beneath her robes as she lay back in the corner, her eyes closing in sleep.


	33. Recollections, Part 2

_It was dark in her room when she awoke, and she sat up, looking through the bars of her crib toward the doorway. "Mum!" she cried. "Mummy!"_

 _Moments later, as the child knew she would, a dark-haired woman came into the room, silently closing the door behind her. "You should be sleeping, darling," the woman murmured as she picked up the child, holding her close._

 _"_ _No sleep," pouted the little one, winding her arms around her mother's neck, and Meretta smiled a little._

 _"_ _I love you," she whispered to her daughter, kissing the child's forehead._

 _"_ _Mum," said the child firmly, laying her head on the woman's shoulder, nestling against her mother until she was comfortable. "Where Da?"_

 _Meretta's magic crackled slightly, and her daughter looked up. "Mum?"_

 _Meretta sighed. "I don't know where he is, darling. I haven't seen him for several days."_

 _"_ _Da okay?" she asked, concerned._

 _"_ _He'll be fine," Meretta assured the child, pressing her to lay her head back down. "He's a powerful follower of our Dark Lord. He'll be just fine."_

 _The child looked over Meretta's shoulder when the door opened, her eyes growing wide. "Da!" she cried softly when she saw him close the door._

 _Meretta turned to her husband. "Reg?" she breathed. "Are you all right?"_

 _Reginald kissed his wife quickly, then gave his little daughter a hug. "Love you, Stel," he said softly. "Meretta, we've got to get out of here."_

 _"_ _What do you mean?" she asked, holding their child closer. "No one knows—"_

 _"_ _There were others captured tonight," he sighed heavily. "I was speaking to Anthony when the Aurors arrived. I was able to get away, but they chased me. It's no longer safe for us to remain in Britain, Meretta. They know who I am. They know who you are. They will be coming for us."_

 _The child stared at her mother in wonder, seeing liquid spill out of the woman's eyes. "Mum, Mum, no cry," she told her mother._

 _The woman looked up at her husband. "I can't leave Estella, Reg. She—she's too young and impressionable."_

 _"_ _Then you need to find a family you trust to take care of her," he told her. "Or someone to take care of her, that we can make sure the adoption never goes through."_

 _"_ _Mum? Da?" whimpered the little girl, pouting, tears in her eyes. "Mum!"_

 _"_ _Oh, Stel," Meretta sniffled, cuddling her daughter. "Reg, she isn't even registered for adoption. We made sure she wouldn't be: that's why she's grown up here. Why can't we just let her stay? She is okay with everyone here. Mostly."_

 _Reginald sighed and slipped his arms around his little family. "She needs a family so that she can learn to relate to people. But it needs to be a decent pureblood family. I won't have her grow up with some Mudblood. Right, darling?" he asked Estella in Parseltongue, taking her from Meretta._

 _Estella giggled. "No_ hisssusss _," she answered him happily. "_ Sissshausss hisssusss _!"_

 _"_ _Yesss," he answered softly, kissing her forehead. "You've learned well, Estella."_

 _"_ _There's so much left to teach her," Meretta worried. "Reg, if we left now, we'd miss all the important times in her life! All the special times—!"_

 _"_ _And what would you suggest as a better time?" Reginald asked his wife. "There really isn't a good time."_

 _"_ _Please," Meretta breathed. "Give me until she's two. Please, Reg. There are things I must teach her in case we do not meet again until the Dark Lord returns."_

 _The eighteen month old child looked at her mother. "Dark Lord, Mum?"_

 _Meretta rolled up her sleeve, showing her daughter the Dark Mark. Estella wriggled to be put down, and toddled unsteadily over to her mother, reaching out to touch the Mark. "It's cool," she told the little one. "The Dark Lord has disappeared for a while, darling, but when he comes back, the Mark will burn more fiercely than ever."_

 _Estella still reached out, and Meretta knelt, letting her daughter place her small hand over the Dark Mark on her mother's arm. "Mum good," Estella grinned at her mother._

 _"_ _Darling," chuckled Reginald, watching the two, "we are Dark wizards."_

 _"_ _Da," said the girl firmly, pointing to her mother's Mark, then to him._

 _He consented and knelt next to Meretta, rolling up his left sleeve. "We belong to the Dark Lord," Reginald told his little girl as she placed her other hand over his Mark._

 _She lifted her hands, then placed them back over the skull and snake, grinning up at her mum and dad. "Do I?"_

 _Reginald looked slightly concerned, but Meretta smiled. "Perhaps one day, darling, when you are older," she told her daughter._

 _"_ _You are already special because you are a Parselmouth, as am I, and the Dark Lord," Reginald told her softly. "It will be your choice what you become."_

 _Meretta stared at him in surprise, but he didn't look at her. "Reg?" she asked, frowning at him. "What happened to you?"_

 _He rolled his sleeve down and took his daughter's hand in his. "I just want her to make the choice, if she wills it," he told Meretta. "Those that are forced don't do well. You know what happened to Jamison."_

 _The woman frowned. "Don't discourage her," she scolded Reginald. "We must follow the Dark Lord in everything!"_

 _"_ _She isn't even two yet," Reginald said. "Don't plan her life for her. It might turn out differently than you think." He stood, and Meretta stood, almost nose to nose with him._

 _"_ _If you even," threatened Meretta, "turn her—"_

 _"_ _Stop!" cried the child, grabbing her parents by their robes and trying to push them apart. "Stop!" A burst of magic came from her, and her father fell to the ground, looking up at her in surprise. "Da?" she asked worriedly._

 _Meretta laughed and picked her daughter up, swinging her around. "You did magic again!" she said. "Very soon, Mummy will teach you some spells she knows, okay?"_

 _Estella nodded, then glanced back down at her father, who merely watched his child and her mother, sitting on the floor beside her crib. "Da?" she asked again._

 _"_ _It's all right," he answered, getting to his feet. "You didn't hurt me. Just knocked me down."_

 _"_ _Didn't mean to hurt," she told him, tilting her head at him._

 _He nodded, and Meretta laughed again. "You should be going to sleep again, darling," she said to the little one. "It is late in the night, you know."_

 _Estella looked up at her father, who was looking away again. "Da," she said, holding out her arms to him. "Da, hold me."_

 _Reginald turned to his daughter and lifted her in his arms, holding her close. "I love you," he murmured, and she murmured the same words, hugging him around the neck._

 _It took the child almost forty-five minutes before she fell asleep in her father's arms, content._

* * *

 _Another scene began in the same room, but this time, Meretta tripped into the room, looking angry and a little frightened. "Mum. Mum, what's wrong?" Estella asked, getting up from playing on the floor._

 _Meretta knelt and gathered the child into her arms, shocking her because her mother had been teaching her the proper way to conduct herself as a pureblood, and her mother was breaking the rules she'd taught Estella. "There's a family coming," Meretta choked, looking at her daughter's face._

 _"_ _Mum, no tears!" scolded Estella, looking surprised._

 _"_ _Listen to me," Meretta insisted impatiently, ignoring the toddler's reprimand. "There's a family coming that wants to take you away and make you their little girl."_

 _"_ _No!" cried Estella in fear. "Mum, don't let them!"_

 _Meretta looked frightened herself, but ordered, "Estella, you must listen to me and not question a word I say. You have to leave here." The child nodded, and her mother dressed her, packing her bag of all her things._

 _They were heading toward the main entrance of the orphanage when they heard the matron call, "There you are! Wow, you got her ready quickly!"_

 _Estella turned to see the matron, a passive expression on her face although she was terrified inside. Meretta's magic crackled, and the matron's expression changed slightly as Meretta turned around. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing slightly behind the matron, looking both anxious and eager._

 _"_ _No matter what happens, remember not to tell them who I am," Meretta murmured to the child. "Yes," she replied to the matron._

 _"_ _Oh, is this Estella?" asked the red-haired woman, coming forward to see the child in Meretta's arms._

 _Estella stared away from the woman, refusing to look at her. "Yes," Meretta answered calmly. "She doesn't warm up to new people very easily."_

 _Arthur came forward, and Estella looked at him, seeing the expression in his eyes and on his face. "Stel?" he asked softly._

 _The child hid her face partially in her mother's robes, but kept watching him. Meretta sighed. "I wasn't able to finish telling her about you," she said. "If you'll give me a minute, she'll be ready."_

 _The three nodded, and Meretta took the child a little way away, setting up wards soundlessly. "Darling," Meretta told her, a tear dripping down her cheek. "I love you, but you've got to go with them."_

 _Estella looked scandalized and terrified. "No!" she shouted. "Please, no! Take me with you, Mum!"_

 _"_ _Hush," Meretta scolded her sharply, then wept, "don't you understand? Your father and I have to leave so that we're not sent to prison, darling. And you can't come with us. You—you have to go with them."_

 _"_ _No!" Estella cried, almost in tears. "Mummy, don't send me! Don't!"_

 _"_ _Hush," Meretta said again. "I'm releasing the ward." Magic crackled as the ward went down, showing Estella sobbing into the woman's shoulder._

 _"_ _Aw!" Molly said, and Estella looked up at her with a glare._

 _Meretta smiled at the child, all trace of her emotion gone. "She doesn't like red-haired women," she said conversationally. "And she doesn't like little boys."_

 _Arthur looked slightly concerned, but said, "Estella?" as the child sobbed, hiding her face in the dark-haired woman's robe._

 _"_ _I don't want them," she wept. "Don't want to go with them! Don't send me, please!"_

 _"_ _Don't be silly, child," said the matron. "All children want a mummy and a daddy."_

 _"_ _I have a Mum and a Dad," the girl shouted at the matron angrily, her magic crackling. "They can't take care of me 'cause I'm too little to go with them!"_

 _The matron looked alarmed, then left the room quickly. Meretta cuddled the little girl, trying to get Estella to look directly into her eyes. "Stel, you know they were nasty Dark Wizards."_

 _"_ _I don't care," Estella said coldly, glaring at her mother._

 _Meretta sighed, but hugged her daughter again. "Cause trouble for them, Stel," she whispered to the child. "They are a bad family."_

 _Estella nodded, sniffling as she brushed her hand across her eyes and nose. Meretta gave her to, not Molly, but Arthur, glaring at him. "Take good care of her, Mr. Weasley," she ordered him. "We'll be checking up on you—and her parents might even check up on her too! Or her cousins' parents might check up on her. Be good to her."_

 _Finding herself in the arms of a strange, red-haired man, Estella shrieked, "No, please, no! Oh, no, don't do this to me!"_

 _Arthur murmured her name, trying to calm her, but the child burst into sobs as Meretta turned her back, walking away. "Mummy!" sobbed the child. "Mummy!"_

 _"_ _You don't have a mother," Molly told her. "I'm your mother now."_

 _"_ _You are_ not! _" Estella shouted at her, her eyes flashing furiously. "Meretta Parkington is my mother. Mum! Mummy, don't let them take me! Please! I've been a good girl like you wanted, I promise! Mummy!" the child screamed desperately until Meretta completely disappeared out the front doors. Estella dissolved into incoherent sobs against the red-haired man's shoulder, and he rubbed her back gently._

 _"_ _Goodness," he murmured. "To be that attached and not even know her real mother. What a powerful bond they must have had!"_

 _As the two left the orphanage, Estella looked up at the building and burst into fresh sobs, pounding her fists against her adopted father's shoulder. "Why?" she shrieked. "Why, Mummy? Daddy, I need you!"_

 _The man disapparated, and the three appeared near an old, run-down building. "This is your new home, darling," Molly told her, smiling._

 _"_ _I'm not your darling!" Estella shrieked at her, the apparition having removed her tears._

 _"_ _Shhh, sweetling," Arthur told her, and she froze._

 _Her real father had taught her that newly hatched serpents were often called "sweetling" as an endearing term from their handlers or master. Estella lay her head down on the man's shoulder, still sniffling, but stopping her shrieking and sobbing. She went almost completely silent._

 _Arthur carried the little girl into the house, straight to the living room, where the boys were sitting quietly. "Boys," Arthur said quietly, "this is your little sister, Estella."_

 _The five boys sitting around the living room were already staring at her. "She's got black hair," said the second biggest boy, the one with glasses._

 _"_ _Mum and Dad have black hair," she pouted, and he looked surprised._

 _"_ _She talks!" said one of the smaller boys, and Estella looked at him in disgust._

 _"_ _You can each come say hi if you want to, one at a time," Arthur told them, sitting down in the rocking chair._

 _The biggest boy came over first, and grinned at her a little. "Hi," he said. "I'm Charlie."_

 _Estella frowned up at him. "Big brother?"_

 _"_ _Not the oldest," he shrugged. "There's Bill, but he's at Hogwarts. I'm going to Hogwarts next year."_

 _"_ _Hogwarts," she grinned at him. "Slytherin?"_

 _"_ _No," he said in surprise, looking down at her. "The Weasleys have always been Gryffindors. Don't you know?"_

 _"_ _No," she pouted, and Arthur motioned him to move on._

 _The redhead with glasses came forward and looked down at her. "I don't know what to say," he admitted. "I haven't had a little sister before."_

 _Estella looked at him, then reached up and rubbed his cheek. "Freckles," she giggled, and his ears turned red. The twins laughed. "Don't laugh at him," she said sharply, and they looked surprised at her order._

 _"_ _You like Percy?" said the one who'd spoken earlier._

 _"_ _No one likes him," said the other._

 _"_ _That's not nice," Estella warned the twins, and Percy looked thankful that she'd said it. "Who are you?"_

 _Arthur smiled at her words to the twins and said, pointing to each twin as he spoke, "This is Fred, and that's George."_

 _One of the twins shook his head. "I'm George, not Fred!"_

 _Estella frowned at him. "No, you're not, Fred," she said, pointing her finger at his face. "I know."_

 _"_ _No!" protested the other twin. "Really!"_

 _"_ _No, really," Estella replied coolly. "You're George."_

 _"_ _Dad, how does she know?" Fred complained, shocked._

 _Arthur shrugged. "Maybe she's only guessed. Or maybe she has you figured out. Think you should be more careful around little sister?" Estella pouted, a yawn overtaking her. Arthur cuddled her closer, allowing her to lean against his robes as he conjured a small blanket and draped it over her. "You can sleep if you're tired," he told her._

 _Estella lay snuggled up in the blanket, the warmth making her even more sleepy. "Mum," she whimpered, her eyes filling with tears again._

 _"_ _I'll get her," volunteered Percy, but Arthur stopped him, saying that she didn't mean their mother. "Oh," said Percy, looking down at the little girl. "I'm sorry."_

 _"_ _Mum," she whispered again, tears running down her cheeks as she cried for her mother who had just walked away from her. A small sob escaped the child, and she buried her face in the man's robes to stifle the sounds of her crying. The child wept softly until she fell asleep._

* * *

Estella woke up, bedcurtains surrounding her. She pressed her hand to her mouth to keep back her emotion and sat up, trying to think of where she'd been the night before.

"Missstress ssslept in the Common Room, and Sssage brought Missstress here, to her own bed," Icythan informed her. "Sssage put up the ward, asss well."

"Good," sighed Estella, yawning. "She did well, not waking me up."

"Missstress would not wake until morning from the bite," Icythan informed her, slithering onto her lap again. " _Hisssusss_?"

She laughed softly, then hissed for him to coil around her neck, crawling out of bed. She changed into a new robe very quickly, then headed down to the kitchens to get Icythan something to eat. To her surprise, the three Lestrange cousins were sitting at a table, eating lunch together.

"Hey," said Karnt, saluting her. "Star Chaser of Slytherin."

"Enough," Meris told his cousin, giving him a push. "She really doesn't want to talk about that."

He looked at Meris. "How would you know?"

Estella sat down beside one of the twins. "Actually, I don't," she told the twins. "It's in the past, and thank goodness Madam Hooch let it stand. I thought that all we'd practiced would be for nothing!"

The boys grinned, and a house-elf appeared. "Ms. Parkington," squeaked the elf, "what can Mimsy get for you?"

"A green tea, please," Estella answered. "And a sandwich." The elf nodded and left.

"How's Longbottom getting on now that there's three of us?" Meris asked her, and the twins chuckled.

"He's more scared of Snape than he is of you," Estella shrugged. "He doesn't seem to think that you two are going to be seeking him out for any sort of mischief."

The three Lestranges chuckled. "Do you want to go with us to Hogsmeade the last time they have a special weekend?" they asked her.

Estella raised an eyebrow. "How do you sneak past Filch?" she asked them.

"We don't," nodded the twins seriously. "Draco said his dad told him that Potter's been sneaking into Hogsmeade using his Invisibility Cloak, so, we followed Potter and found how he got there. We didn't tell Draco, though. But we thought you might like to go with us to Hogsmeade. We didn't actually follow Potter all the way through."

"Right," Estella nodded, then grinned. "I'd love to go."

"Excellent," Rohan said, pleased.

Just then, the house-elf showed up and gave Estella the food she'd requested, leaving when Estella dismissed her kindly.

Karnt frowned at her. "Why are you so kind to house-elves?"

Estella glanced after the elf. "I don't know. Maybe because I'd prefer them to serve me out of respect rather than fear."

"She's kind to everyone," Ro told his brother. " _Everyone_."

"Except the Gryffs in her year," Meris added with a grin.

"No, don't talk to me about Gryffindors," Estella pleaded. "I'm trying to forget them for a while!"

Meris grinned a little, then said, "Perhaps not everyone, but most."

Estella glared at the table, then told them, "I told Sprout that I had absolutely no Hufflepuff in me whatsoever."

"Did she believe you?" Karnt asked, just as Rohan asked, "What happened up there? Can you tell us?"

"I don't know what she thinks of me," Estella sighed. "I don't know what any of them think. All I know is that McGonagall is furious that I 'betrayed' Gryffindor, and Dumbledore marvels that Slytherin let me play for them. Besides that, Diggory was shocked to realize that his neighbor's little sister is adopted, and Fred and George hate me right now. Aaand I learned that Phineas Nigellus Black is my great-great-grandfather."

"Oh, yes," Rohan nodded. "He's our third great-grandfather, actually, cause Mum is his second great-granddaughter, like you."

"So, I'm not really in your generation?" Estella chuckled. "Nice. Now I feel old."

"Well, Draco's older than you and he's in our generation," Karnt said with a shrug.

Rohan pointed at Meris. "He's only our cousin, because he's Dad's brother's son. Otherwise, he hasn't got any relatives other than us."

Estella looked at Meris. "You can be my strange cousin," she told him.

"Oh, shut up!" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Cousin in-law," she giggled, and Meris put his head down on the table.

"No."

The twins laughed and thumped Meris on the back. "Yes," they said together. "She wants to claim you, brat; let her."

Meris looked up, his face a little pink. "Fine," he muttered. "It's not much of a relation."

"It's better than mine to them," Estella replied. "They're my—what? Third cousins once removed? If you're just my cousin in-law, that's a lot more simple."

"Okay," Meris said, sighing dramatically.

" _Hisssusss_!" said Icythan firmly, slithering onto the table and looking up at Estella. "Missstress said!"

The Lestranges moved their hands back from the table as Estella nodded at her serpent and called, "Mimsy!"

The elf quickly appeared before Estella, asking, "What can Mimsy get for Ms. Parkington?"

"Raw meat, please," Estella said, then smiled. "For Icythan."

"Mimsy will be right back," promised the elf, and was back almost as quickly as she'd left. "Here, Ms. Parkington." And she handed the package to Estella.

"Thanks," Estella said, and the elf left. Estella opened the package, slicing the meat with her wand before Transfiguring one of the pieces into a live mouse. Icythan slithered across the table and struck the mouse just as the Lestrange twins threw themselves away from the table and landed on the floor.

"Parkington!" Karnt said in annoyance, standing up and brushing off his robes. "Don't do that!"

Icythan coiled around the mouse, swallowing it, and Estella smiled at her serpent. "Karnt, serpents do that," she told the boy as he sat back down. "That's how he eats, and he wouldn't hurt you unless I told him to."

Meris looked over at the serpent that was slithering lazily back to Estella. "May I?" he asked, holding out his right hand to Icythan. The twins looked nervous as Icythan hissed, then slithered over to Meris and disappeared up his sleeve.

Estella laughed. "He said that if he puts up with my nestmates, he can surely put up with mistress's Strange friend," she told them as Icythan slithered out from under Meris' collar and coiled around his neck like a necklace.

"What about us?" Rohan asked curiously.

" _Sheisss_ ," Icythan hissed at them from his position around Meris' neck. "Missstress mussst be very careful around the Strange _sheisss_!"

"What do you mean?" Estella said to her serpent in surprise. "How do you know they're _sheisss_?"

Icythan tasted the air, then hissed, "Their magic is torn."

Estella frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It is caused by either absence of magic, or Dark magic," Icythan replied. "They are _sheisss_. Missstress mussst be careful until she knowsss what they have done and what the _sheisss_ will do."

"He believes you to be an enemy," Estella told Karnt and Rohan. "It's something he feels in your magic. I don't understand it, and probably won't."

"Why does everyone and everything automatically think we're evil?" Rohan groaned. "Even the serpent!"

"Not evil," insisted Icythan. "Not harmful _sheisss_. Sonsss of _sissshausss_."

Estella was extremely confused. "Sonsss of making something part of your power?" she asked Icythan quite literally.

Icythan hissed softly without speaking, then said, "Sons of servants of _Sissshausss-a-sissshausss_."

"Death Eaters?" Estella questioned, realizing what he was trying to get across. "Does _sissshausss_ also mean Death Eater?"

"Yesss," Icythan hissed happily as Meris lifted his hand and stroked the serpent. " _Sissshausss_ —eat death. Make part of your power."

Estella's mouth dropped open at her serpent's words just as two redheads walked into the kitchen, discussing something about monkeys. When the red-haired twins saw Estella, they turned their backs to her, ordered their food, and left quickly after they received it.

"Are they not speaking to you?" Meris asked her.

"No," sighed Estella. "They're being stubborn, but I don't blame them. I'd probably do the same if one of them had played for another House."

"What was Icythan saying?" Rohan demanded. "Was he telling you that we are evil?"

The dark-haired girl shook her head. "He was explaining that he called you enemy because you're sons of Death Eaters," she said, "although I don't know why that wouldn't apply to Meris, too. Double trouble, maybe? Did you three know that the word for Death Eater in Parseltongue is also the same word used to say 'to make part of your power'? That helps me understand how the Death Eaters got their name. The Dark Lord is a Parselmouth."

The Lestranges all nodded, and Icythan hissed, "Other twinsss alssso _sheisss_."

"Icythan, just because they're mad at me doesn't make them _sheisss_ ," Estella told him. "What do you say about heading down to the lake for today? Unless you three have homework?"

"It can wait," Karntaan said with a grin, and his twin agreed.

Meris shifted slightly. "Did you want Icythan back?"

She shrugged. "He seems content." Grinning at the serpent, she said, "He can be released into the grass when we're at the lake. He'll probably just head to the Chamber of Secrets to be with his bitemates."

"How many serpents do you own?" the twins said in horror.

"Seventeen," she replied. "But Icythan is the only one that I usually keep with me. The others I only see if I visit the Chamber."

"Remind me never to visit the Chamber," Karnt said, getting up. "I'll be at the lake. Goodbye." Rohan jumped up, and the two left.

Meris glanced at Estella. "Are you sure you don't care that your brothers are mad?"

She sighed as she finished the last bite of her sandwich and took her last drink of tea. "I'm sorry they're angry," she said. "But they should know that it's going to get worse. I have to be myself, don't I?" Estella sighed again, then stood. "I'm confused," she said. "I can't wait til the summer so I can figure myself out."

He smiled at her, joining her as she left the kitchen. "Did you hear that the Quidditch World Cup is going to be held in Ireland?" he asked. "Are you going to it, do you think?"

Biting her lip, she looked down. "I'm a Weasley," she said. "If we can go, we'll probably have to sit underneath the stands."

"Oh, come on," he said, and she shrugged.

"Meris, the Weasleys are not rich," she said. "Haven't you heard Malfoy blather on about them?"

"Most families are poor compared to his," Meris replied. "Mum and I aren't that well off, either. We're actually living off a Gringotts account in which Dad set aside money for Mum to be able to live well and raise me. We really aren't rich, either."

"Are you going to the match, then?" she asked him.

Meris shrugged. "Mum really isn't one for Quidditch," he said. "I probably won't be there, either."

Nodding, Estella motioned Meris to a tapestry. "Passage," she told him. "Maybe we can beat the twins to the Entrance Hall." He grinned and they hurried into it, the tapestry swinging back into place. The two reached the Entrance Hall just as the other two were coming up the corridor from the kitchen area. "We're going to run," she hissed to Icythan, then shouted in English, "Run!"

She and Meris broke into a run, the twins right after them, thumping down the steps into the grounds. They all dashed toward the lake, laughing and sitting down in the grass when they arrived, the twins arguing about which one of them arrived first. Icythan slithered down Meris' arm and disappeared into the grass after telling Estella that he would be in the Chamber.

"Look!" called one of the boys. "There's the Giant Squid!"

"Did you see him when you went across the lake in the boats?" Estella asked them.

"No," Meris answered. "It was dark."

"We never took the boats," Ro shrugged.

Estella drew a little breath, saying, "Oh. How did you arrive?"

The twins glanced at each other. "We were sent by Floo," Karnt told her. "Mum and Dad (that's our adopted parents) sent us through the Network after sending an owl to Dumbledore that we were alive. We had received our letters and prepared, but we did not go by train. Mum and Dad didn't want us to be a spectacle in front of the whole school."

The other twin nodded in agreement. "It was nice that we weren't sorted in front of everyone else, but now that Jordan announced that you're about as small as 'those Lestrange twins' at the Quidditch match, nearly everyone knows who we are now!"

"Well, at least that you're here and didn't come in at the beginning of the year," Estella shrugged. "They may not truly understand who you are—as if that matters outside of Slytherin."

"Perhaps not," Karnt added, "but anyone who finds out will be more than likely to tell others, and word of our presence will get around very quickly."

"A week from now is the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match," Estella groaned, hiding her head in her hands. "I'm going to die."

Meris shook his head at her. "No you're not," he told her. "You'll be fine. Although perhaps you should make your brother Percy make you promise to celebrate with the Gryffindors, whether they win or lose. Then you'd have an excuse not to come down to Slytherin, and the Slytherins wouldn't think you terrible if you stayed with your brothers if their House won or lost."

Estella thought about it, then nodded. "Thanks," she said gratefully. "I might do that. Fred and George aren't speaking to me, you know."

"We saw," Rohan rolled his eyes. "Not that decent of brothers, actually. And wouldn't half your cousins have a fit if they heard you claim them?"

"They always have a fit," Estella said in annoyance. "They're the only family I've really ever had! And Fred and George are just really passionate about Gryffindor Quidditch, especially because they're on the team, and because Wood's given them an especially hard time this year. The dementor attack as well as the Slytherins' putting off their game upset Wood and made it harder on the Gryffindor team. And if my brothers or Lee Jordan tells the House of Gryffindor who I am and what _I've_ done, I am dead!"

"Fred and George aren't _that_ violent, are they?" Meris asked her.

Sighing, Estella looked out at the lake. "They'd definitely hex me, if they knew they could get away with it. They spoke of cursing me when we were in the Headmaster's office. I think they might prank me, really, really embarrassingly. Or maybe they're planning something else. I don't know what they've come up with. I'm not even sure I want to know!"

Karntaan and Rohan glanced at each other. "Do you regret it?"

She didn't answer, and Meris said quietly, "Stel, are you okay?"

She drew a deep breath, then mumbled, "I just need a hug. From somebody who cares, and isn't prejudiced."

Soft footsteps sounded in the grass, and someone said, "Estella! I've been looking for you all morning! I wanted to talk to you last night, but you were asleep in the Common Room and wouldn't wake up!"

Meris looked up. "Hi, Lauren. Parkington needs a hug."

Estella's ears turned red. "Meris!"

Lauren sat down in the grass next to Estella, Rohan scooting away to make room. "I wondered if you'd worry," she said to the younger girl. "And honestly, while every Slytherin is partying, every Hufflepuff is licking their wounds, every Ravenclaw doesn't care what just happened, and every Gryffindor is wondering which hat Flint pulled you out of, you're out here wondering if you did the right thing. Percy is disappointed, and Fred and George are mad at you. Are you also wondering what you're going to do at the next Quidditch match?"

"Yes," Estella whispered, and leaned against Lauren's arm, looking lost.

The blonde girl slipped her arm around Estella and squeezed her slightly, saying, "You should stay with Gryffindor. You know that there's probably going to be a lot of hexing going on the next two weeks until the match. There are going to be lots of students going to the Hospital Wing." She sighed. "A lot of extra prefect duty."

The Lestranges seemed to be ignoring them, so Estella asked the older girl, "Do you think Fred will actually curse me?"

"I don't know," Lauren mused. "Perhaps. He would probably prefer letting someone else 'punish' you—that is, if he doesn't choose to use a prank."

"Great," Estella sighed. "Well, thanks, then."

"Why don't you come up to the castle with me?" Lauren asked her.

Meris seemed to come to life, and protested, "You can't take her away from us!"

Estella looked over at him. "I'll be here a long time," she said. "I'll see you at supper."

"If you're not at Gryffindor," Lauren reminded her.

"Ew," Estella groaned, getting up. "Thanks for the walk and talk, boys." She headed up toward the castle, and Lauren slipped her arm around the girl again.

"You looked upset when you came into the Common Room," Lauren told her, "but I was dancing with Alvin at the time, and couldn't get away. You were asleep before I was able to get over to you, and you were gone by the time I checked your room this morning."

Estella cracked a smile. "Icythan wanted to eat as soon as I woke up," she told the prefect. "So I went to the kitchen to get him something to eat, and that's where I met up with Meris, Karnt, and Rohan."

Lauren nodded. "I was going to levitate you to your bed last night, but your serpent slithered out of your robes. Megan said that he was threatening me, but she managed to convince your serpent that she wanted to help him protect you."

"My serpent's name is Icythan," Estella told the girl. "He prefers to go by his name, but I don't actually have him on me right now. I didn't even know Megan had been there last night, but I did wonder who put the ward up over my bed—and who put me in my bed. Icythan really does protect me." Estella smiled happily, and Lauren smiled too.

"I'm glad you found a friend to look out for you," she said. "I've been meaning to ask you where you got him and what kind of serpent he is."

"Well," Estella began slowly, tilting her head slightly, "his species is kind of rare—a basilisk, but the variety that is not able to kill with its eyes. I got him in Egypt when we were on vacation last summer."

Lauren's eyes grew wide. "I didn't know there was such a species!" she said. "And quite a few Slytherins looked into his eyes when you were asleep and Megan was talking to him!"

Estella nodded. "The Parkingtons bred his species from the original—" she turned to stare at Lauren. "How can I be telling you this when even I have no idea what I'm talking about?" she demanded. "I'm certain my father's family bred the first of Icythan's species, but I am not at all certain how I know that."

"Then why was the species in Egypt?" Lauren asked, frowning. "We probably shouldn't discuss this with anyone else, Estella."

"Of course," Estella realized. "I only know that the serpents said that their old master and mistress were gone, and that the old serpent was about to die. I took the bitemates as a promise to protect their secrets—"

She stared at Lauren. "What have I done, Lauren?" she whispered. "I've probably destroyed the heritage that the serpents had in the tombs there. And I should probably stop talking about this, too."

Lauren nodded in agreement, uncomfortable with the conversation. Estella determined to go read the book that she had retrieved from the tombs and hidden in the Chamber. Beside: she wanted to see the bitemates.


	34. The Secrets of the Bitemates

Ginny sat next to Percy at supper, and, as Meris had suggested, 'made him make her promise' that she'd attend the Gryffindor party—or pity-party after the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match. She hugged him, then slipped over to Angelina, who was the fifth year girls' prefect. "Hey," she greeted her. "I haven't talked to you in a while."

"Hello, Parkington," Angelina said coolly, but very quietly.

"Oh." Ginny just looked at her, biting her lip, crushed, but certain that she should have known Fred would tell his girlfriend. "I'll just go."

"No." Angelina patted the bench next to her, and Ginny reluctantly sat down. "What is it?"

She looked down at her hands. "I—I've got a sleepover tonight, but I promise it's not at Slytherin," she told the prefect finally. "I promise it's not."

Angelina frowned. "So you won't be in your dorm room at all tonight?"

"Probably not," Ginny replied.

"You're almost never there, anyway," Angelina told her. "And I've never reported you, because whenever I told the twins or Percy, they always said that you had friends you were staying with."

"I have friends in every House," Ginny sighed. "But...the Gryffindor relationships are getting a little stretched right now."

The older girl nodded. "I told Fred not to tell any of the other team members, or anyone else, for that matter. I've also sworn Lee to secrecy on pain of death."

Ginny was horrified. "I hope it was merely on pain of pain," she said.

Angelina giggled. "Or that. But you're not going to Slytherin tonight?"

"No," Ginny replied, resolving not to go there.

"If you don't like staying in your dorm room," Angelina told her, "you could probably stay in our room, or I heard that Hermione allowed you to stay with them. Apparently you had a nightmare?"

"I'm fine," Ginny said stubbornly, rolling her eyes. "I went to Percy, and he made it all right. Anyway, I'll keep it in mind. Maybe some morning, you'll wake up and find me asleep on the floor in your room."

The other girl smiled. "All right. Then you can go to your sleepover." Ginny got to her feet, and Angelina said, "By the way: you are an excellent Chaser."

Ginny grinned and walked off, slightly relieved that her telling Angelina hadn't gone too badly. She headed to the nearest girls' restroom and opened the Chamber, heading down into it quickly, the stone serpents greeting her once again. She hurried to the room where the basilisks were kept.

"Missstress comesss ssso soon?" Icythan said in surprise.

"Well," Estella said to the bitemates, "I've actually come to asssk if I may read the book that I brought here from the tombsss with you."

The oldest basilisk, Behinga, slithered forward and tasted Estella's wrist. "Missstress doesss not need to asssk permission of the bitematesss to read of her secretsss," she told Estella.

"Missstress may read the book asss much as she wishes," another bitemate, Nephisi, spoke up.

"Warm," hissed the smallest basilisk, Teneski, slithering up next to Estella as she sat down in the sand. "Missstress is warm."

Estella held out her hand to the little basilisk, and it slithered up her hand, coiling around her wrist. The other basilisks gathered around their mistress, basking in the warmth of her body. Three or four slithered onto her lap, but Icythan remained under her robe, coiled beneath her knee.

Sebring, the largest female, slithered over her brothers and sisters in Estella's lap to wrap around her waist. "Missstress wishes to read it now?" she asked. "Missstress may get it at any time."

Estella looked down at the basilisk in surprise. "You've grown!" she said happily. "None of you could coil around my waissst when I brought you here! Yesss, I'll get the book now. Be right back, sweetlingsss." Getting up carefully, the basilisks in her lap hissing as they slithered into her robes to remain with her, Estella went over to the book and dropped the wards, grasping it in her hands.

She went back to the sand pit and sat down again, the bitemates gathering around her. Brushing her hand over the cover, Estella watched it open to her, the symbols becoming words before her eyes. "The book may only be read by a pureblood Parssselmouth surrounded by the bitematesss," Tishri informed her importantly, already knowing what she was reading. "The lassst one to pick up that book read it when we were jussst eggsss."

"Who wasss it?" Estella asked curiously, watching the basilisk peeking at her over two of her brothers.

"Missstress mussst read," Tishri told her, seeming almost to smile in anticipation.

Estella read to herself, seeing on the first page a handwritten inscription: _To the generations of Serpent Keepers to come: yours is a great and dangerous task. To read this, you must be a pureblood descendent of Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff, and of the further line of Morgamon Parkington, who was four generations removed from Salazar and Lady Hufflepuff. Moreover, you must be a Parselmouth, since you are reading it already._

 _Morgamon Parkington was the first Parkington from the line of Salazar Slytherin. He was an infamous basilisk breeder, although most of his basilisks ended up eating each other. His most famous contribution to Parselmouth society was his variation of basilisks that did not kill with their eyes, only with their bite, and only on cue. These basilisks, much more trustworthy because they could be looked at and trained, became in great want through the world of Parselmouths. Morgamon, however, did not want to sell his basilisks, so he passed them on to his son Argamor when he died._

 _Argamor Parkington became the first Parselmouth to bond with a basilisk, something that had never been achieved because of the more dangerous variety, the King of Serpents. His bonded one was a female named Scarinsca, a four foot serpent with iridescent scales._

There was a picture in the book of the wizard with his bonded one, and Estella thought that the serpent's scales looked like the tiles at the bottom of a reflecting pool. The wizard in the picture nodded at her and hissed, "Read on! There isss more, child!"

Estella turned the page and was about to continue reading when Icythan hissed softly, "Missstress, the bitematesss want _hisssusss_." She smiled and nodded, drawing her wand and pulling out the package of meat, making all the basilisks hiss in excitement.

"Be careful that you don't missstake each other for the _hisssusss_ ," Estella said, grinning, then began to Transfigure the pieces of meat into mice, practicing making her mice different sizes and colours. Sebring moved from her missstress's waist, and Estella Transfigured a rat for the large basilisk. Once all the bitemates were contently eating their meal, Estella continued her reading.

 _Generations later, Argamor's second great-grandson because the first Parselmouth to bond with multiple basilisks. Coromande Parkington bonded with an entire clutch of basilisks, handling them all alternately, several at a time. There were thirteen basilisks in the clutch, and he carried all of them during the goblin wars of his time (basilisks are quite a deadly match for goblins)._

 _It was during this time that the Parkingtons began to be suspected of breeding serpents illegally, and Coromande was forced to flee the country for over two decades with his basilisks. He lived in Egypt for some time, securing a room in an ancient tomb as an ideal place for breeding more basilisks. He successfully hatched a clutch there, but it was his two sons that raised the young basilisks when their father died tragically at the hands of rebel goblins that discovered him._

 _Damien and Durand Parkington continued to raise basilisks in the tombs, and cared for the clutch that their father had hatched. It was from these two brothers that the Parkington line split, the Sage line coming into the world of Parselmouths. The Sages descended from Damien, while the Parkingtons continued through Durand. The Sage family and the Parkington family split up a clutch, each taking some of the bitemates and continuing the breeding of the basilisks through two different lines._

 _The Sage and Parkington families eventually separated to find their own ways in life, and have descended apart ever since, as have their serpents. Each branch is powerful in their own way, but both are direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin from Lady Hufflepuff. Even though Salazar cut off the Parkington line from being heir after Lady Hufflepuff's suicide, he still named their son the Keeper of the Chamber of Secrets, instead of the son of his second wife._

 _Therefore, the Parkingtons have used their specialized species of basilisk to guard the Chamber, keeping it free from intruders and repairing it when it was needed. They placed extra cautions in the Chamber, such that are listed later in this book._

Estella read on for several pages about the Parkingtons, then stopped, coming to a picture of two men and a basilisk. _Ancillion Parkington hatched a clutch of basilisks, but unfortunately, because he was not present at the hatching, the biggest basilisk of the bunch, Tabashi, ate the other basilisks, making him the last basilisk alive for many years._

"Isn't Tabashi your sire?" Estella asked the basilisks, and they all hissed in agreement. "Then he's not the last basilisk. You are all his descendants!"

"Yesss, Missstress," agreed Lises, one of the average-sized males. "Missstress mussst continue to learn of the bitematesss."

She returned to reading the book, learning that Ancillion Parkington had passed down Tabashi to his son, warning him that he must raise a clutch of basilisks from Tabashi, or all the hard work of the Parkington family would go to waste. However, not only did Ancillion's son fail to breed the basilisk, his grandson also failed in his duty.

 _Ancillion's great-grandson Reginald Parkington was finally able to convince Tabashi that he needed descendants, and a clutch of twelve eggs was laid in the tomb that Coromande had provided so many centuries before. Reginald was only sixteen at the time, still attending school. Two years later, the bitemates hatched, and almost immediately were imprinted to eighteen year old Reginald, who took them to the Dark Lord as powerful weapons to be used against the Light and the Ministry._

 _Following an excellent attack led by Reginald and his basilisks on a Light stronghold, the Dark Lord granted permission for Reginald to marry another Death Eater, Meretta Parkinson, who was only seventeen at the time. During the First Wizarding War, Reginald and his wife survived well, but the bitemates were all killed, and the Serpent Keeper and the old serpent were devastated._

 _Two more years later, a child was born to Reginald and Meretta, and the two settled down in their own home to raise their child, serve the Dark Lord, and to raise another clutch of basilisks. Reginald had no chance to even think of breeding Tabashi again, for before his own child was six months old, the Dark Lord was defeated, and Reginald and Meretta had to go on the run from the Ministry, leaving their daughter behind._

 _Reginald thought of leaving Tabashi with his distant cousin, Anthony Sage, but finally left the serpent in the tomb in Egypt. Life on the run kept him busy, especially because his wife wanted to be with their daughter, and was devastated when the child was adopted by a blood-traitor family. Meretta began to beg her husband for another child, but she did not bear another child until 1984._

"What?" Estella shrieked in horror, and all the bitemates hissed in alarm. "I have a brother or sister?"

"Missstress hasss two," Kaphasa told her.

"No!" cried Estella, then buried her face in her hands over the book.

The littlest serpent touched her missstress's face with her tongue. "Missstress isss upssset that she hasss more brothersss?"

Crushed, Estella whispered, "I thought I was an only child. I didn't want any more brothers!" She couldn't even cry over it, although she felt terrible.

"Missstress," Icythan hissed softly, "Missstress mussst ressst and finish reading later."

"I have to finish tonight," she whispered. "I'll be all right." With a great effort, she looked down at the book and continued reading.

 _The little boy that was born to them was immediately sent to an orphanage, and is not up for adoption, only cared for in the orphanage until he is old enough to attend Hogwarts. Meretta was much happier for some time after her son Shaul was born, and agreed with her husband's plan to breed Tabashi again; however, Meretta soon gave birth to another boy in 1986, and named him Mathis._

 _It wasn't until the spring of 1991 that a clutch of seventeen basilisk eggs were laid in the tomb, and they hatched in the spring of 1993. Reginald missed their hatching, being on the run, but Tabashi was able to keep his offspring from killing each other, and took care of them._

 _In the summer of 1993, Estella Parkington, the oldest child of Reginald and Meretta Parkington, came through the tombs with her adopted family and met the bitemates, although she did not know her connection to them. She was attracted to the ward because she was a Parselmouth, and to the basilisks because they were bred by her father's family. She bonded with Icythan, the largest male basilisk in the clutch, although not the oldest, according to Tabashi's orders._

 _Estella removed all the serpents from the tombs into the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts, where they would be closer to her. This was also made possible by the death of Salazar Slytherin's basilisk, which had resided in the Chamber for over a thousand years. Through some struggles with her adopted parents, Estella was finally able to convince them to let her keep Icythan, and became the Serpent Keeper of the bitemates._

 _Sometime after Estella became Serpent Keeper and before the Christmas holidays, Tabashi died in the tombs, having decided not to go to the Chamber of Secrets with the new mistress of the bitemates. Estella has not bonded with the other bitemates, and it is unknown if she will choose to do so._

Estella looked up from the book to see all the bitemates watching her. "Will Missstress bond with usss?" Tasarek hissed to her. "It isss not required, but it will allow usss to be able to communicate when we are apart."

"How?" Estella asked.

"By biting," Odessa, the quiet bluish-green basilisk, hissed softly.

"Venom forgesss the bond," Levir added, looking up at his mistress from her lap.

Sebring coiled more tightly around Estella's waist. "It isss mind communication, much like Missstress's with the other Young One."

Ananke hissed her agreement. "Missstress will be able to speak to whoever elssse holdsss the bitematesss if we are bonded," she told Estella. "By telling a basssilisk held by another Parssselmouth sssomething, it can be communicated to the other Parssselmouth."

"Does the other Parssselmouth have to be bonded to the bitemate?" Estella asked, wanting to make sure that she had the information she needed.

"No," Tishri answered. "A basssilisk can be bonded to Missstress and communicate to all the bitematesss anything Missstress wishes. A basssilisk need not be bonded to any Parssselmouth to communicate to its own bitematesss: the bonding only makesss it easier for the Missstress and bitematesss to underssstand each other without wordsss."

"Oh," Estella said thoughtfully. "I would like to be bonded to you, if you want it. Would—would any of you allow my father to hold you ssso that we can communicate—if he wishes it?"

Every basilisk but Icythan and Teneski volunteered, and Teneski said, "I will go, but only if Missstress willsss it."

Estella smiled a little at the tiny basilisk. "I would like you to stay with me for a little while," she told Teneski.

"Permission to bite?" Teneski hissed excitedly, and Estella nodded. Teneski sank her fangs into her missstress's hand, allowing venom to spread into Estella's hand.

"Missstress! Missstress!" Instantly, the other bitemates were clamouring for the honour of biting her. When she nodded, several of the basilisks bit her immediately, and she cried out in shock as the venom inundated her system.

"Enough!" Icythan hissed loudly. "Missstress cannot take any more venom!"

The bitemates looked up at their mistress, still hissing excitedly with the new connection those that had bitten her had received. Estella was breathing quickly, then gave a little gasp, and lay down on the sand, her eyes closing. The serpents all gathered around her, feeling her body heat increase. She whispered, "Icythan," and he slithered up to her, coiling up against her chest. "Ssstay," she ordered him, and gave in to the sleepy state the basilisk venom had brought upon her.

* * *

When Estella woke up, she found that she had four bites on her arms, two on her neck, and the one on her hand that Teneski had given her. The bitemates eyed her, and she yawned sleepily. "Good morning," she told them, and they immediately broke into happy conversation.

She looked around at them, finding that the littlest basilisk was still firmly attached to her wrist. Smiling, Estella said, "Teneski, I would like you to remain on my wrissst for a few daysss. Sebring, you may ssstay with me. Kaphasa, Nephisi, Levir, Lises—you may all choose a place. I would like you to go with me." Estella glanced at the remaining basilisks, trying to figure out who was the seventh that had bitten her. "Who wasss the other that bit me lassst night?" she asked.

"I, Missstress," said Odessa obediently.

"Would you like to join me?" Estella asked.

"If Missstress wishes," Odessa answered. "I would like to go the next time, perhapsss, if Missstress does not mind."

Estella stroked the beautiful serpent gently, and she curled up in her mistress's lap. "It isss your choice, of courssse," she told the serpent. "If you don't wish to go this time, then...Basari, would you go?"

"Yesss, Missstress!" said the smaller basilisk happily, slithering up Estella's sleeve and coiling around her right elbow.

"Icythan, do you mind if I leave you here a little longer?" she asked him, tilting her head slightly.

"Missstress mussst bond to the other bitematesss," Icythan said contentedly. "And Icythan'sss bitematesss are with Missstress: I can ssspeak to Missstress."

Estella smiled, then got to her feet, still a little shaky. Teneski tasted Estella's wrist again and said, "Missstress needs _hisssusss_! Good _hisssusss_ to keep Missstress ssstrong!"

Giggling, Estella said, "I sssuppose that meansss that you want _hisssusss_ too, sssweetling?" Teneski hid her head beneath Estella's sleeve, and Estella laughed. "Yesss, Missstress will get you sssome, but I will feed the other bitematesss firssst, all right?" She took the last of the meat that she'd put a Freezing Charm on and Transfigured different pieces of it into rats and mice for the others. "Sssee you in a little while," she told the other bitematesss. "Missstress hasss class to attend."

The bitemates seemed to understand, and Estella left the room, heading into another room in the Chamber to find robes to wear to class. She selected dove grey robes, pleased that they'd reappeared in the Chamber. Estella smoothed the material over herself, stroking Sebring although she was beneath the robe. Kaphasa and Nephisi began to hiss for attention themselves, and Estella said, "Easy, bitematesss." She touched each of them reassuringly, and they fell silent, looped around her neck.

Estella walked toward the entrance of the Chamber, seeing Tom in the main room. He shook his head at her. "You've definitely taken a huge step in Parselmouth ways," he told her. "Carrying seven basilisks. Just wait until you're carrying all seventeen."

"I've got to grow before I can manage that many hidden by my robes," she said indignantly. "Sebring's already big enough that I worry my robe won't hide her."

"Then do a basic charm to make your robes appear unruffled," he told her. "It will hide any lumps or coils they make."

"Missstress, I'm not that big," Sebring told her in a huff. "Seven is a fine number for Missstress to manage."

The dark-haired girl smiled at her basilisks, then told Tom, "I've got to go. I have to stop by the kitchens and get these something to eat. I gave the last of what I got yesterday to the others. I'll have to see how well classes go now. I hope I won't disturb anyone too badly." She giggled and the basilisks she was holding hissed in amusement with her. Cautioning them not to speak too much lest someone would hear them, she left the Chamber, entering the kitchen.

After Estella fed the seven bitemates on her, she headed toward her first class of the day: Charms. She sank into the seat next to Megan, making Guage look annoyed. "Sorry," Estella whispered, grinning. "It's just that—I've got seven serpents under my robes."

Megan stared at her in shock, and Guage raised an eyebrow. "Do you really? How are you going to get away with that?"

"Dunno," Estella replied, grinning.

"Ssso," Megan said slowly, raising an eyebrow, "are these thossse basssilisks you told me about?"

"Yesss," Estella answered, and Guage rolled her eyes, getting up and moving away from the two. "Would you like to meet all of them?"

Megan looked extremely excited. "Yesss!" she said. "Oh, yesss!"

Estella nodded. "I'll be exchanging bitematesss this weekend, and you can go with me then. But, ah, it will be right after the Quidditch match, ssso we'll have to call an armistice while we're in the Chamber. I'm not bonded to all of them, and won't have direct control."

"But all of usss will lisssten to Missstress," hissed Basari. "I have not yet bonded to Missstress. She had too much venom lassst night."

"Ah," Megan laughed. "I see."

Ginny was about to say something else, but the class was called to order, and she couldn't. The class was easy, though. Professor Flitwick knew that all the students were looking forward to the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and couldn't concentrate on their schoolwork. He told them to redo the charms that they'd learned throughout the year as extra practice for their year-end exams. Megan and Estella practiced charms on each other, including Colour-changing Charms. Estella immediately went to black hair, then changed Megan's hair to the brown and blonde that Tonks had had last time she'd seen her.

Estella sighed as Megan changed her hair to blonde, laughing. She missed Tonks, and wondered how the older girl was getting along. She hoped that Tonks was all right. Rolling her eyes, she Transfigured a rock into a bug, then enlarged it and sent it after Marlene and Marianne.

The Slytherins shrieked with laughter, and Selwyn gave her a high-five. "Got the bug right finally," he said, laughing.

" _Hisssusss_!" Kaphasa and Sebring hissed together, and Megan looked alarmed.

"No!" she said quickly. "It is not really food. It wasss made out of a rock. Did you not see?"

"You ate earlier," Estella said to them. "Wasn't that—?"

Flitwick was looking at her, and she Summoned the bug, Shrinking it and turning it back into a rock. He gave her an approving nod, and she smirked, turning away. "I wanted to make it explode," she said. "How do you do that, Megan? I heard you're good at making things explode."

Megan nodded. "It's the Reductor Curse," she told Estella. "I'll have to show it to you. It's amazing, and I think you'd be really good at it. You have the perfect temperament for it."

Estella laughed, and continued working on other charms until the end of class. Megan joined her as they left, and asked, "Did you ssspend the night in the Chamber?"

"Yesss," Estella replied. "I—I learned a lot from the bitematesss that I didn't know, even about my entire family of Parkingtonsss. Then, ssseven of the bitematesss bit me in order to bond, and I carried six of them with me today. The seventh, Odessa, didn't want to come." Estella shrugged. "Do you know why?" she asked the seven basilisks.

"She wishes to bond tighter first," Lises told her. "She isss a more timid basssilisk, Missstress. She wantsss to know Missstress's world from another bitemate'sss view before she comesss to see it herssself."

"All right," Estella nodded.

"I've got to go," Megan sighed. "We've got Defense next." She stuck out her tongue. "He's good," she said in annoyance, "but I wish it wasn't so, because he has to leave at the end of the year."

Estella waved as her cousin (on both her mother's and her father's side) hurried off. "History of Magic," she yawned. "I'm going to sleep through it. Wake me when it's over, please." The bitemates agreed, and when Estella slipped into History of Magic, she put her head down on her desk and went to sleep. Nearly an hour later, the basilisks woke her by slithering over her body and hissing to her. She sat up, grabbed her bookbag and stood, leaving the room.

She headed to the Great Hall, becoming Ginny Weasley again, much to the dismay of the bitemates. Ginny walked to the Gryffindor House table and sat down next to Miskenet, who smiled at her.

"How's it going?" Miskenet asked. "I haven't seen you around in a while."

"I'm doing well," Ginny replied, a slight smile touching her lips. "I've been really busy. I'm really looking forward to the Quidditch match this weekend."

"Oh, yes," Miskenet grinned. "So am I. I'm worried, though. The Chasers are saying that Gryffindor needs 210 points or we'll lose the Cup to Slytherin."

Ginny bit her lip and nodded. "That only means that Gryffindor needs a 60 point lead before Harry can catch the Snitch," she said quietly. "Don't you trust the girls to be able to do that?"

Miskenet bit her lip. "The Slytherins are going to be brutal."

The redhead nodded. "Of course they are. This year should have been Gryffindor's, but now they're really going to have to fight for it."

The prefect scowled. "If I knew who that Parkington was, I'd hex her so she wouldn't be able to play."

"She won't be showing up," Ginny said. "She's in my year, and she won't be playing against Gryffindor any time soon."

"Really?" Miskenet chuckled a little wickedly. "Sounds good, Ginny."

"Doesn't it?" Ginny laughed. "I was relieved to hear it. This match is going to be the most heated match Hogwarts has seen in years!"


	35. The Final Quidditch Match

The days leading up to the match were filled with hexing and being hexed. Pansy was sent to the Hospital Wing with antlers, and Ginny giggled hysterically once her cousin had gone. One of the Gryffindor Chasers was hexed, and Slytherins were trying to injure Harry at every turn. Finally, Ginny made her decision.

One evening, almost right after supper, Ginny headed down to the Hufflepuff Basement, nervous. She muttered the password that she'd learned from Percy and entered the room carefully, glancing around the room.

"Hey, Ginny!" called Thorin, and several other Hufflepuffs looked up. "Come on over!"

Ginny went over to the boy, not seeing the one she was looking for. "Hi," she said breathlessly. "Have you seen Diggory?"

Thorin shook himself in surprise. "Why are you looking for him? Where have you been? You haven't been coming to the study group, and Erik's going to—"

"Parkington!" someone called, sounding disapproving. Ginny turned to see an older student from the study group coming toward her. "What did you think you were doing?"

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, seemingly in confusion, hiding her laughter at the terrified looked on Justin Finch-Fletchley's face.

The boy came over to her, removing her charms before she could stop him. Several Hufflepuffs stood, looking horrified. "What do you think you're doing?" Flora cried, staring at Ginny.

Beatrix stood, looking upset. "What's going on, Brandon? Why'd you do that?"

Brandon looked down at the girl's green eyes. "She is Estella Parkington. This is the girl who played for Slytherin as a _lie_. She's not a Slytherin."

Thorin jumped to his feet. "Leave her alone, Brandon. You're crazy."

"Stop it!" Beatrix said. "Ginny wouldn't do that!"

"She would," said another Hufflepuff. "Didn't you know that Ginny Weasley is really Estella Parkington? She was adopted by the Weasleys when she was a little brat, and the woman changed her name."

"Stop." Diggory had come into the Common Room, and looked disturbed at the sight. "What's wrong?" he asked them, seeing Flora and Beatrix worried as some of the older students were upset. Estella stood there, silent. He looked down at her. "Why are you here? You surely didn't come that way, did you?"

Estella bit her lip. "Brandon wasn't happy with my red hair," she told him.

Diggory looked at Brandon, who began to speak, but shook his head and stopped. "Why are you really here, Ginny?" he asked.

"Because," she said, feeling very, very stupid, "the Slytherins want to put Harry out of commission for the match, and we need students to help protect him from their hexes and things. And they're even trying to trip him. Slytherins are really classic sometimes."

"Original, even," laughed a prefect, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "We'll help, of course. We'll have to do shifts, though. And it'll probably have to be older students."

Two other prefects sat down beside the first girl. "Fourth year and up, and others can make a crowd if they wish," one of them added. "He'll need it back and forth from classes, and into the Great Hall. Trips to the library—oh, and to class from their Common Room."

Thorin snorted. "And to the bathroom. Better make that all boys."

Giggling, Ginny added, "And perhaps even down to the field. Although I think the whole Gryffindor team will go down together. I doubt many of them will eat that morning, if they go to the Great Hall at all."

"The whole team will need protection at that point," Diggory said wryly, and the other three prefects nodded.

"We'll get it covered," the girl prefect told Ginny with a smile. "We might even involve some Ravenclaws if necessary."

"Just—please don't tell Cherea Charleston this was my idea," Ginny told the Hufflepuffs. "I—I think she'd tell my cousins."

Beatrix frowned at her. "Are you going to go over to Slytherin all the way eventually?" she asked her friend.

Ginny sighed. "I don't know," she said. "I don't want to be like them, but I fit in more with them."

Cedric looked at her and said softly, "Tonks had that problem."

"Tonks," Ginny whispered, looking up at Diggory. "Did you know her?"

"Only a little," he said. "We played Quidditch together for a couple years, and then she graduated. She seemed to struggle with who she really was, too. Maybe you should talk to her. I think she could help."

"Thanks," Ginny smiled at him, then turned and hurried out of the Common Room, her heart pounding in surprise when she ran directly into someone and all her bitemates began hissing angrily.

Finch-Fletchley was frowning at her, upset. "Are Ginny Weasley and Estella Parkington really the same?" he asked her.

"Yesss," she accidentally hissed in Parseltongue, and he looked terrified. "Yes," she told him. "But believe me, I was not myself! I was controlled by the Dark Lord, and I wouldn't have hurt you on purpose!"

"You're a Parselmouth," he accused her, and she nodded.

"Hush!" she said to her bitemates. "Be ssstill!" Looking up at Justin, she sighed, "I wouldn't have; I promise. I'm sorry about it. I was afraid to tell anyone who I was, so I made up a story."

"You lied," he accused her as if she'd done an Unforgivable.

She sighed and nodded again. "I was afraid to tell the truth, but I know that's no excuse. I won't be attacking anyone with the King of Serpents anymore."

The bitemates were all agitated beneath her robes, and she pressed one hand to her waist to calm Sebring and her other hand to her neck to calm Kaphasa and Nephisi. "It isss all right, sssweetlingsss," she told them. "He will not harm me."

"He threatensss," hissed Teneski, alarmed for her missstress.

"He will not hurt me," insisted Ginny, and the bitemates calmed down to wait and watch.

"You have snakes with you," Justin said in disgust.

Ginny bit her lip. "They are serpents," she corrected. "And yes, I do speak to them. I am their mistress, and they obey me. I don't wish to harm anyone: these serpents are my friends."

Justin looked at her, his eyes full of mistrust, and slipped back into the Hufflepuff Common Room. Ginny charmed her hair back to red and hurried back to Gryffindor as fast as she could. She sat down next to Katie Bell, taking a deep breath. "Nervous?" she asked the Chaser.

"Yes, but if I can get through this week, I'll be fine," Katie replied. "It's just leading up to the match that has me worried."

"The match will be a problem in itself, but we have to survive to be there," Angelina shrugged.

Alicia huffed. "As long as that Parkington brat doesn't show up, we'll probably have a great chance of getting the necessary points. Wood's honestly trying to kill us all."

Ginny smiled sympathetically. "Parkington won't show up," she said. "I heard she's out of commission for a while."

Angelina nodded. "She was only for the Slytherin against Hufflepuff game. Seems they wanted to make winning even sweeter for us." The chasers laughed together.

"Well, goodnight," Ginny said, getting up. The others said goodnight to her as she walked off, headed up toward Hermione's dorm room.

"Oh, hi, Ginny," Hermione said, stumbling into the room moments later.

"You look exhausted," Ginny commented. "Are you getting enough sleep?"

Hermione sighed. "Yes, it's just—well, I'm just staying up so much—I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." She put her bath things away and began to get ready for bed.

Ginny finally jumped up and hurried over to help. "Arm, here," she ordered Hermione. "Head up! Other arm, right here."

The brown-haired girl smiled thankfully. "I can't even think straight," she yawned. "I hope you can get your bed and blankets. I'm going to bed." She promptly fell into bed and was asleep almost immediately.

Shaking her head, Ginny crawled into her own bed and went to sleep, relieved that the other girls asked no questions.

* * *

For the rest of the week, Hufflepuffs guarded Harry from the Slytherins that wished to hurt him. Realizing that the Chasers were also in danger, the Hufflepuffs helped guard them from hexes, jinxes, and tripping as well. Fred, George, and Wood seemed to be able to take care of themselves—Fred and George jinxing some older Slytherins pretty badly and Wood punching a fifth year for taunting him.

Percy had seen that, for Wood had punched the boy outside of their Transfiguration class. The boy, doubled over, looked up at Percy with a certain expression on his face, and Percy shrugged, replying, "It's open season on Gryffindor and Slytherin. Do you really expect me to promote 'justice' for you when you _deserved_ that?"

McGonagall opened the door and frowned at them. "Professor!" the boy protested, "Wood punched me and Weasley wouldn't do anything!"

"I'll do detention after the game," Wood promised his Head of House firmly, glaring at the Slytherin. "And if you take House points, you'd better not."

"The boy was taunting Wood, Professor," Percy said calmly. "He got what he deserved."

"Where's your Head Boy badge, Mr. Weasley? Get in here!" she demanded, hurrying them into the classroom.

Percy smirked. "I decided not to be Head Boy this week."

* * *

Sitting in the stands next to Percy, Ginny giggled at his story. "Nicely done," she told him. "What did McGonagall say?"

"Nothing, really," Percy replied. "I think she almost smiled, though."

"Nice," Ginny laughed. "Oooh, look!"

The teams were coming out onto the field, the captains shaking hands. Flint appeared to be trying to crush Wood's hand, just as always. Finally, the fourteen team members rose into the air, hovering in formation at the center of the field. The game began, and the Chasers flew into the battle with such a fury that Ginny could barely keep from covering her eyes a couple times. "Ouch," she winced when Montague grabbed one of the girls by the head. "Oh, ouch!"

Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs all around them were hollering, "Penalty!" and Madam Hooch called it, Gryffindor scoring. The stands exploded with cheers and applause. Ginny glanced around, seeing the sea of scarlet and gold ripple with enthusiasm. Most of the crowd was on Gryffindor's side. Biting her lip, she turned back to the conflict in the sky.

After several minutes, Gryffindor had gained a sixty point lead, and Harry was looking desperately for the Snitch. The crowd jumped to their feet, howling encouragement to him as he saw the Snitch and hurtled toward it. Just as Harry was closing in on the Snitch, the entire group of students and teachers watching the match saw Draco Malfoy grab Harry's broom, pulling it backward.

Harry shouted at Malfoy in indignation, Ginny gaping up at them as the crowd shouted insults and railed accusations at the Slytherin Seeker. By the time Harry'd gotten free of Draco, the Snitch had vanished. The Slytherins scored almost immediately afterward, and Wood was almost beside himself with panic. The Slytherins were madly cheering Malfoy on, and Ginny saw Draco smirk, looking around until he spotted her.

Ginny bit her lip slightly, then looked away from the blonde boy, concentrating on the Chasers, who were battling for their point lead again. The Gryffindor girls struggled on until they had their sixty point lead back, Slytherin battling fiercely to keep them under. But then, Harry spotted the Snitch again. The crowd exploded again, screaming in excitement and terror and thrill. There was a terrific chase to the Snitch, and the noise was deafening. Both teams stopped playing, except for the Seekers, watching breathlessly.

Finally, the two Seekers pulled up sharply and—Percy jumped up off the bleachers, shouting in ecstasy, his hair looking wild as he jumped up and down. Harry had caught the Snitch. Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup.

Students of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff flooded onto the field as the Gryffindor team descended, Wood sobbing in overwhelmed relief. Ginny turned to say something to Percy, but realized that her brother was heading down onto the field. She hurried to follow him, catching up and staying by his side as they joined Fred and George, who were whooping, hollering, and carrying Harry on their shoulders.

The twins looked down at Ginny, then smirked, turning and carrying Harry across the field toward Dumbledore, who was holding the Quidditch Cup. Dumbledore smiled at the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, then announced Gryffindor as the winner of the Quidditch Cup, giving it to Oliver Wood. The seventeen year old shouted with joy and held the Cup aloft, a roar of approval going up from the crowd. Wood then turned and gave the Cup to Harry, who held it up again, the crowd going wild.

Ron and Hermione were close by, reaching up to touch the Cup, which was soon being passed through the crowd. Someone shouted, "Party at Gryffindor! Everyone but Slytherin invited!"

Another round of cheers went up, and Percy grinned at Ginny. "You should tell Tonks to come," he leaned down and almost had to shout in her ear. "She and Charlie had a horrible feud over Quidditch: they played against each other, you know."

Ginny nodded, grinning wickedly.

* * *

Auror Tonks tossed her red and white hair and laughed, "And then I told him that if he didn't like my hair, I could make him permanently colour blind. But he decided that it wasn't worth it, and tried to get away. I stopped him."

Her father smiled at her, chuckling, but her mother sighed, "Nymphadora, you've got to stop—"

"Don't call me Nymphadora," said Tonks, scowling at her mother.

Andromeda was about to reply when a white fox came into the room, playfully capering about until it trotted up to the girl with the candy cane hair.

"Hi, Nymphadora," it said, and Tonks glared at it, her parents laughing. "Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup. Haha! Anyway, there's a party in the Common Room, and you're invited. Just don't be seen, for goodness' sake. All the Slytherins are ready to curse anything that moves. The game was really, really close. Again: don't be seen."

The fox disappeared, and Andromeda frowned after it. "Whose Patronus was that?"

Nymphadora looked at her parents, then turned back to her supper. "The Weasley girl."

"Charlie's baby sister?" her father asked, and Nymphadora shrugged.

"She's twelve now," she told her father. "Not exactly a baby."

"Twelve, and has a corporeal Patronus," Andromeda commented, eyebrow raised. "She was adopted, correct?"

The younger witch sighed. "Yes, Mum, you know who she is."

Andromeda merely glanced back at where the Patronus had gone. "Isn't it a little strange that the Parkington girl can do a Patronus? Not what one would expect of such a child."

Nymphadora looked up at her mother. "Don't stereotype the poor child," she told the woman. "She's been boxed in enough. She's even been mistaken for her mother before: their magical signatures are that close."

"But her red hair—" her father began.

"It's charmed," Nymphadora said, scowling at her plate. "To make her 'fit in.' She's part of what made me decide never to use my hair to 'belong' somewhere."

"She knows who she is?" Andromeda said. "She remembers her adoption, then?" Nymphadora nodded, and her mother scolded her.

The girl huffed, then answered, "She knows, but I don't know how she regained her memories. Charlie told me that his mother had hid the girl's memories so she wouldn't remember her family before the Weasleys. I don't think Molly knows that Estella has her memories back—and I won't be telling her, either."

Andromeda frowned. "Shouldn't the Weasley woman at least know that her daughter is—"

"—is what? Armed and dangerous? _Whole_ again? _Herself_?" Nymphadora scowled. "Charlie told me what it was like to go through the first couple years with Estella/Ginevra. He told me that when she lost her memories, it was like they'd sent Estella back and adopted a completely different child. Estella is _not_ Molly's daughter, _has_ not _been_ her daughter, and will _never_ _be_ her daughter."

"Why do you feel so strongly about it, Dora?" her father asked kindly.

"Because I feel for her," Dora said, clenching her right fist. "She's got no real parents, and her adopted mother destroyed her memories. That's a really classic thing for a 'loving' mother to do. I'd hate if someone did that to me. Besides, I was really close to Charlie, and he was devastated when Estella was turned into Ginevra. It really upset him, and consequently, upset me at the same time. I didn't even meet Estella until just recently, sometime during Christmas break."

Andromeda frowned. "Where did you meet her? You didn't go to the Burrow, did you? Charlie isn't there."

Nymphadora rolled her eyes. "Mum. No. She was with her parents' family: her cousins, and her uncle and aunt. She said they were supposed to be picking her up, but the team scared them off because we mistook her signature for her mother's signature. Her uncle came and picked her up eventually, but I checked up on her later, back at school. Her cousins were furious that she talked to me. They cursed her."

"Dora," said her father in surprise, "because of you—"

"Don't think about that too long," Tonks said, sighing and jumping up from the table, sending her plate crashing to the floor. "Oops. Sorry, Mum. I don't know how they saw through my morph and knew who I was. That's why she doesn't want me to be seen. She doesn't want to get cursed again."

"Are you going to go?" Andromeda asked.

Tonks grinned. "Wouldn't miss the party for anything," she said. "Chance to sneak into Hogwarts, into the Gryffindor Common Room—what's better than that?"

Andromeda sniffed, repairing the plate her daughter had destroyed. "A lot of things, Nymphadora."

"Well, it's a good thing Tonks doesn't think so," said Nymphadora. "She's inclined to go have some fun tonight. Bye, Mum. Bye, Dad." She kissed her father on the cheek, morphed her hair brown to match his, and hurried for the door, her wand in her hand.

* * *

Ginny was watching the Portrait Hole when Kotsn came into the Common Room, grinning as if very pleased with herself. The brown-haired girl immediately came over to Ginny, sitting down and grinning at her. "Got your message," she said. "Brat."

"Good," Ginny giggled. "You weren't at the Office, were you?"

"No, I was at dinner," she replied. "Mum and Dad were surprised that I received a Patronus from someone at school."

Nodding, Ginny was about to speak when Fred and George came over to her, and she looked up, wary. "Here," Fred said to her and Roda, holding out what looked like a piece of candy. "A little treat to celebrate the defeat of Slytherin!"

Ginny leaned over to Tonks and whispered, "Follow my lead." She unwrapped the treat and popped it into her mouth, almost immediately becoming a long-armed, red-haired monkey.

Tonks grinned, then followed her example. Instead of becoming a monkey, however, she became a brown squirrel, and scampered for one of the Weasley twins, darting up his robe and perching on his shoulder, chattering loudly into his ear.

The monkey was swinging over students' heads, and the other Weasley twin shouted, "Monkey Munches and Rodent Rocks now available from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes! Step right up! Limited supply!"

The same twin turned to Fred to see the squirrel still chattering merrily, jumping to his other shoulder when he tried to shove it off. It scolded him, and he looked at his twin awkwardly. The squirrel began to change back, and Tonks jumped off Fred's shoulder, landing on the floor in a sitting position. She jumped quickly to her feet, laughing merrily.

"I'd like a couple Rodent Rocks," she giggled, smiling up at Fred. "They seem...useful."

"Um, okay," he said awkwardly, pulling a couple out of his pocket as some other students gathered around him and George.

Tonks got her Rocks and walked away from the twins, laughing as Ginny came up to her. "That was priceless," Tonks told the redhead, and Ginny burst into giggles.

"You ran up his robe!" she shrieked with laughter. "He was so shocked he didn't even know what to do!"

"Oops," said Tonks mildly, and the two burst into giggles again.

Percy walked up with a tart in one hand and grinned at them. "Ginny, Roda," he greeted the two.

Tonks looked immediately suspicious. "How do you know my name?"

The red-haired boy smiled. "It was my idea to invite you. I remembered the...feud you and Charlie used to have over Quidditch," he told her.

"Oh." She grinned, a little tamed, but still kept her hand in her pocket.

"Don't mind her," Ginny shrugged. "She's got an Auror hangover—"

"Hey!" protested Tonks, and Percy laughed. "I was trained to always be on guard."

Percy nodded, grinning. "Constant Vigilance," he intoned. "Heard all about it from Charlie."

Tonks shrugged, looking down for a moment, a small amount of colour appearing in her cheeks before it disappeared quickly. "Do you still hear from him?" she asked.

"Yes," Percy answered. "Sometimes. Doesn't he write you at all?"

"Not really," Tonks said quietly, not looking up. "But I haven't written him in ages, either, so I've no excuse." She shrugged and looked up at them, frowning at Ginny. "Your eyes are too old," she told Ginny, who looked surprised.

"So are yours," Ginny retorted.

Tonks gave Ginny a disapproving look. "I have an excuse. You don't. Penny for your thoughts?" Ginny gave her a confused look, and Tonks looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry. Muggle reference. What were you thinking?"

Percy sat down on Tonks' other side, and Ginny asked, "Were you and Charlie ever a couple, Dora?"

"We—we were just friends," Tonks answered truthfully, looking straight into the redhead's eyes. "Best friends. But never anything more—although—I'm afraid I may have..." her voice trailed off.

"Led him on?" Percy asked. "I always wondered why he ran off to Romania when there are dragons closer to us."

"No!" Tonks cried softly, sounding hurt. "I would never have led him on. Ever, Percy. Ever. He was my friend. I didn't know how much I meant to him until—until—" she looked down at her hand in her lap.

Ginny frowned at Percy. "She wouldn't," she told her brother. "She's a Hufflepuff. I understand," she added, leaning closer to Tonks. "Until he told you how he felt."

Tonks looked over at her. "How do you know all this, Ginny?"

Percy answered for her: "I overheard Charlie talking to Bill about it before he left. He just wanted to get away from everything."

Ginny jumped up, feeling extremely awkward. "Do you two want butterbeer?" she asked them. Both of them nodded, and she hurried off to get them. Coming back, she handed each of them a butterbeer and sat down, grinning and sipping her drink.

"So," Tonks said brightly. "Describe the Quidditch match to me."

Delighted, Percy and Ginny told Tonks every specific move they remembered, including their indignation at Draco for grabbing Harry's broom. Tonks merely smiled and shook her head at that, and the two continued their narrative. After they were finished, and Tonks had finished laughing with them, she said, "I think I'm going to go visit Hufflepuff before I go home. There are some of my old friends still here, I think."

Percy nodded, and Ginny agreed, then cautioned, "Don't you dare set foot in Slytherin, or they'll all blame me for it."

"I won't," Tonks said, and Ginny smiled. "Bye!"

"Bye!" Percy and Ginny replied together, waving as Tonks exited the Common Room.

The Head Boy turned to his sister. "I thought that was going to get really awkward for a few minutes," he told her.

She nodded. "So did I. Thank goodness for butterbeer."

Laughing, the two rejoined the party in the Common Room.


	36. Sage Advice

When Estella went down to the Slytherin Common Room the following evening, Lauren stopped her close to the door. "Guess who visited Hogwarts last night?"

"The...Minister?" Estella asked, looking guilty.

"Not likely," Lauren hissed, warding the area around them. "Nymphadora Tonks, that's who. Surely you knew this. We heard from the Hufflepuffs that the Weasleys had invited her, since she knows their family."

"Not me, she doesn't," Estella replied. "Percy invited her, just to tease her about her old feud with Charlie over Quidditch."

Lauren's expression didn't change. "You sent her your Patronus, didn't you?"

Estella nodded, not about to lie straight to Lauren's face. "Percy asked me to invite her. Although, when Pansy cursed me a while back, I told her not to visit me anymore. I only invited her to the celebration to annoy her Hufflepuff loyalties."

The blonde girl frowned, then sighed heavily. "What are we going to do with you, Estella? You can't have contact with her!"

"She's a friend of Charlie's!" Estella protested. "I only contacted her on that wavelength! We only talked about the Quidditch match, and about her and Charlie. That's all; I promise, Lauren. We didn't say anything about anything else!"

Lauren's wand pointed directly at her neck. " **Veraxis**. What did you talk to Nymphadora Tonks about last night when she was at Hogwarts?"

Estella felt the spell compelling her to speak, and replied, "Quidditch and her relationship with Charlie." Immediately, the spell was lifted, and she glared at Lauren. "I told you the truth."

"I had to make sure," Lauren said. "I have to make sure of these things, Estella. The whole of Slytherin House knows that the brat was here last night."

"Sorry," Estella whispered. "She was only here for the celebration, and then she went to visit her friends in her own House."

"All right," sighed Lauren. "Look. Go out to the corridor, and I'll send Megan out to meet you while I tell Draco and convince the rest of our housemates that you haven't sold us out to the Aurors."

Estella stomped her foot angrily and Lauren's ward crumbled, magic popping and crackling. "I would _never_ do that!" she snapped, then turned and stormed out of the Common Room.

Footsteps hurried after her moments later, and Megan joined her, biting her lip slightly. "I think I causssed trouble by pointing out that you had been ssspeaking to Tonksss," she said to Estella in Parseltongue.

"You think?" Estella asked, still angry. "I would _never_ betray my parentsss, Megan. _Never_. What kind of a daughter would do that?"

"Sssorry," Megan sighed. "Are we going to the Chamber?"

"Yesss," Estella nodded. "The bitematesss are ready to change placesss. I will exchange the ssseven I have for ssseven othersss, depending on their sssize, of courssse."

The two girls headed into a bathroom, and Estella hissed, "Open," placing her hand on the sink with the tiny serpent etched into it. The pipe opened up in the floor, and Estella grinned. "Time to slide!" she announced, sitting down and disappearing from view.

Landing on the floor in the Chamber, she scrambled out of the way, standing and cleaning her robes off in time to see Megan tumble out of the pipe, landing in a heap on the floor. "Ouch," Estella commented, then closed the Chamber with a single command. "Let's go, if you're ready."

Megan jumped nimbly to her feet, cleaning her robes, and followed Estella deeper into the Chamber of Secrets. They passed the stone serpents, which greeted Estella and hissed, "Welcome, Sssage. Missstress bestowsss upon you an honour."

"Thanksss," Megan hissed in return. "I am honoured, of courssse."

"Did you bring your ssserpent?" Estella asked her, stopping suddenly.

"No," Megan replied, stopping as well. "Did you wish me to?"

Estella continued on, sighing in relief, and answered, "No. I just wished you to meet the bitematesss without your Sssisha firssst. That way they don't have to be concerned with the other serpentsss—ssso I don't have to worry about it all at once."

Megan gasped in amazement as they came to the main room of the Chamber and she saw all the stoneworkings of the serpent statues. She saw the statue of the huge basilisk and stopped before it, staring up in shock. "That'sss Sssalazar Slytherin'sss basilisssk?" she whispered in amazement. "It'sss huge!"

"Yesss," Estella replied, walking up to the statue and slipping her arms around it. "I loved him: he wasss sssuch a sssweet ssserpent, really."

"Missstress did not tell usss thisss wasss the bitemate she had long ago," Sebring hissed, slithering around her mistress's waist outside her robe. "Thisss wasss the basilisssk that Icythan saysss wasss Missstress's firssst ssserpent to command?"

"Yesss," Estella told her basilisks quietly. "Thisss wasss Benjy. He died, believing he wasss protecting me."

"Protect Missstress!" hissed all the basilisks that were on her at once. "It isss an honour to die for Missstress!" Lises added above the other bitemates. "Yesss," they agreed together.

Estella smiled, gently touching each of the serpents that she held. She walked on toward the special room of sand where the rest of the bitemates were, opening the door and allowing Megan into the room. The bitemates hissed greetings to their mistress and slithered forward to greet her, eyeing the other human in the room.

"Hello," Estella said to them softly, then added to those she held, "you may return to your bitematesss." She sat down in the sand, motioning Megan to do the same. "Bitematesss, thisss isss Megan Sssage. She is a ssspeaker, jussst like your missstress, and a member of my father'sss ancient family. She isss _tsez_."

"Isss the Sssage a bitemate?" hissed Ananke boldly, and her sister Sadura slithered forward, both eyeing Megan thoughtfully.

Megan looked over at Estella, who bit her lip. "I am not certain," Estella finally replied. "I need to asssk my father about these thingsss. There are thingsss I need to underssstand that I think only he can tell me."

The redhead looked at the two basilisks that had slithered forward. "You may come forward and tassste my magic if you wish," she told them, and immediately, the two females slithered forward into Megan's lap, hissing softly as she ran her fingertips over their scales, allowing her magic to touch them gently.

" _Tsez_ has strong, warm magic," they hissed happily, and two or three other basilisks joined them around Megan.

"Missstress hasss strong magic asss well," Icythan hissed at the two, slithering onto Estella's lap and coiling up there.

"It isss not a contessst," Estella reassured Icythan softly. "Both of usss have strong magic: I have felt hersss before."

Glancing over at Estella, Megan asked, "Which onesss will be bonded thisss week?"

The dark-haired Parselmouth glanced over the bitemates, then replied, "The onesss that choose it. I allow them to choose. Although I wish—Odessa!"

"Yesss, Missstress," answered the bluish-green basilisk quietly. "Does missstress wish for Odessa to join missstress for a time?"

"Yesss," Estella said softly. "If you wish. Bond tighter: you may choose the spot."

Odessa slithered over to her mistress, slithering onto her lap and up her back, sinking her fangs into the back of her missstress's neck. Estella hissed with pain, and Megan looked on, unconcerned. "Missstress!" Odessa hissed joyfully before slithering down the neck of Estella's robe and coiling around her left forearm.

Estella touched the small basilisk gently, then reached up and touched the bite. She felt either blood or venom (or both) running down the back of her neck, but couldn't reach it.

"Don't," Megan said softly to her. "It hurtsss mossst when it'sss there, but it isss the tightessst spot for bonding. Odessa wantsss a tight bond: don't touch the bite."

"Missstress mussst not fight the bond," Icythan told her. "The bitematesss want to belong to missstress. Pain isss part of the bond: it isss the pain of belonging."

Estella nodded, and more pain shot through her head, neck, and back. Megan almost smiled, but continued stroking the two basilisks curled up in her lap. The dark-haired girl finally hissed, "Ssso, Megan, I will allow the bitesss, then I ssstay down here for the entire night bessside all the basssilisks."

Megan agreed, asking, "You will be all right, of courssse."

"Missstress isss fine," Levir hissed at the redhead. "Missstress hasss many bitematesss to protect her."

"I'll be all right," Estella said, then got to her feet. "I'll be back," she told the basilisks, motioning Megan to follow her and keeping Odessa on her arm. She escorted Megan out of the Chamber, making sure Megan had gone before heading back down to the room.

The bitemates gathered around her, hissing to each other about Megan's strong magic and her potential as a bitemate. "Missstress, she isss powerful," Sebring said softly, "but we mussst make certain that she isss completely truthful with usss. She isss hiding sssomething."

Estella agreed. "She isss a Ssslytherin, of courssse," she hissed. "She mussst wonder what ussse the bitematesss could be for her." Estella frowned, concerned. "Or perhapsss she believesss she can come down here whenever she wantsss now. Bitematesss, when there isss another holding you, one that isss not your missstress, do not share anything Missstress saysss or does with them. Do you underssstand?"

The basilisks agreed, slithering around her to keep warm again. "We underssstand," Tishri said. "Permission to bite, Missstress?"

"Yesss," Estella granted, and the serpent chose to bite her right shoulder, just above her collar bone. Estella touched the serpent gently, feeling the venom course through her strongly.

"Missstress," hissed Tishri gently, "Missstress isss weakened from the firssst bite she received. Missstress took much venom from both bitesss. She will not be able to take ssseven like she did before."

"I—" Estella began, but felt dizzy, and lay down on the sand, her eyes threatening to close. "Isss it ssso strong?" she hissed weakly.

"Odessa isss the most beautiful and mossst deadly," Tishri told her mistress. "Her venom isss the strongest. The othersss will bond throughout the night when Missstress's magic, blood, and venom are ready for it."

Estella smiled slightly, touching Odessa gently. "Missstress will allow it. Sssleep, though. Missstress wishes to sssleep."

Icythan slithered up behind her, tasting her neck. "Missstress will not wake through the other bitesss, although one more bitemate may bond before Missstress fallsss asleep."

"Missstress!" protested a basilisk over the others that wanted to claim their right to bite her. "Basari was held by Missstress, but never wasss allowed the bite to bond!"

"The right isss yoursss," Estella told her softly, then shuddered from the impact of the venom injected straight into her right side from Basari's fangs. Darkness claimed her swiftly.

* * *

Estella woke up to the sound of all the bitemates hissing frantically, and of the littlest basilisk mourning. "What'sss happened?" she asked, and they all came to her immediately, all clamouring over each other. "Wait!" she said, holding out her hand. "Icythan, please—"

"Missstress hasss been asleep for two sunsss!" Icythan explained worriedly. "The bitematesss did not think that Missstress isss smaller and younger than any other Parssselmouth that hasss ever bonded with a nessst of bitematesss."

"We thought we had killed Missstress!" said a gentle, pale-looking basilisk. "She would not wake, and we all tried!"

"I'm here," Estella reassured them. "I'm all right. Two sunsss? I've been asleep for two daysss?"

"One day and night," Icythan told her. "Missstress isss ssso small—she hasss had much venom. Too much for even Missstress, a ssspeaker. She would not wake. We would have been the shame of our race if we had killed our Missstress."

Estella held Icythan close to herself. "It would not have been your fault," she told him softly. "It would have been a misssunderssstanding."

Icythan was not comforted. "Tabashi would not have been pleased with the bitematesss."

She fell silent, allowing her magic to crackle around her, and the basilisks hissed in the warmth of it, excited that their mistress was awake. Finally, she sat up slowly, wincing at the pain in her side. She found that this time, she'd been bitten three times on her side, once on her neck, once on her shoulder, and twice on her left hand.

"Missstress?" asked Behinga tentatively. "Missstress isss all right?"

"I'm all right," Estella said, blinking slowly. She looked at the bitemates, trying to focus on them again now that she'd sat up. "Come to me, those that forged a bond throughout the time I was asleep. Claim your place on Missstress for the week."

"Missstress mussst _not_ be bitten by any ssserpent until an entire moon hasss gone by," Nephisi ordered her sternly. "Missstress mussst be very careful!"

Odessa, Tishri, and Basari were already settled on Estella's body, but Behinga, Nisan (the pale basilisk), Nisi, and Zisi joined them. Estella touched each of them gently, but slowly, still feeling sleepy.

Icythan looked very worried, and hissed, "Missstress. Missstress, go to the _tsez_ that wasss here before! She might be able to help, for she understandsss the bitematesss!"

"Okay," Estella nodded. She got to her feet, stumbling to the doorway of the room, and the bitemates all hissed worriedly. "I'll be all right," she reassured them, then gingerly left the room.

"Estella!" came Tom's voice, and his arms steadied her as she almost fell.

"Tom!" she mumbled into his robe. "If I was asleep, why didn't you wake me?"

Tom sighed, holding her up carefully, taking her toward one of the Chamber exits. "I don't have access to the sand room," he told her finally. "I'm not a Parkington. I'm not a Keeper of the Chamber of Secrets. This place really belongs to you, not me. I'm just borrowing it."

Estella sighed into his robe, stumbling along as he supported her. "I don't care," she said weakly. "You can be here as long as you want."

The bitemates were hissing worriedly again, but Tom added, "I'm just surprised that Megan doesn't have access to the Chamber. Why wouldn't she be able to open it? She did try."

"Oh no," Estella sighed. "She's probably worried."

"Worried?" spat Tom. "Estella, she was frantic. She was practically hysterical over the fact that she was sure you were trapped, unconscious in the Chamber, which you were!"

"Were you worried?" Estella asked.

Tom huffed. "I could hear the bitemates. They were saying that you were alive, and as long as you were alive, I hoped that you would wake up. And now you are awake. But you are going to go to Megan as soon as you leave the Chamber, and I hope she can get you to either her father, or someone that knows how to treat a Parselmouth that's had too much venom. Basilisks on this level are way out of my jurisdiction!"

She almost fell, and he sighed, setting her back on her feet. He helped her into the pipe, then helped her up all the steps, shutting the Chamber behind them. "Tom, where are you going?"

"I'm taking you to the Slytherin Common Room," Tom said. "If Megan's not there, you will be waiting in her dorm room for her until she arrives."

"Oh." Estella didn't protest, and moments later, the two arrived in the Common Room.

Megan was pacing the floor, Guage, Corin, Meris, and the Lestrange twins watching her nervously. "I know she's there!" Megan was saying, then looked up. "Parkington, you idiot!" she shrieked, darting across the Common Room, grabbing Estella by the shoulders, and shaking her. "I should have known better than to leave you there! I saw what happened when Odessa bit you, and I knew—!"

Tom interrupted her. "She was asleep all of yesterday, and she finally woke late this morning. She needs assistance from someone who knows how to handle a Parselmouth that's had too much venom. Know anyone like that, Sage?"

The redhead nodded just as Brianna and Samantha burst through the door to the Common Room. "One question:" Megan said. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" Tom asked. "I'm the 'not the Dark Lord' Ramea Parkinson is always talking about." He smirked, tossed his hair back out of his eyes, and disapparated.

"Megan," Estella gasped, and the girl turned to see her collapse.

"You really did yourself in," Megan said angrily. "You should have let me stay to help you. I knew I should have said something. Next time, courtesy goes out the window. I won't let you die on my watch!" She turned to Corin. "We've got to take her to your house. Go get Bole, or even Lauren, so one of them can open the Floo for us. Move!"

Megan knelt next to Estella as the twins ran over to them, kneeling down. Meris and the Lestrange twins joined them. "Stel?" Meris asked quietly, and she looked up.

"I'm living," she said. "But I think that's it."

"No, it's not," Megan scolded her. "Oh, here they come."

Lauren dashed down the stairs of the girls' dorm, Corin right after her. "Parkington!" sighed Lauren, pointing her wand at the fireplace and setting the fire before opening the Floo. "There. It should be ready for you. Corin, you should go first to warn your family. They won't have any idea what's coming. Megan, are you going to need help with her, or can you get her yourself?"

The Charleston girls were helping Megan get Estella to her feet. "I think if we can get her into the Floo, we'll make it," Megan said as Corin disappeared to his home. "Help me, girls." The three worked together as Guage and the Lestranges looked on helplessly, Lauren overseeing and making sure the Floo stayed open.

"Guage," Lauren said firmly, "I need you to go to Professor Snape and tell him that I had to open the Floo in the Common Room for a Code Red emergency."

"Okay," Guage nodded, then hurried off.

Megan and the twins were just helping Estella into the fireplace, Megan almost hugging her to keep her upright. "Hearthmoor!" Megan called, throwing down the Floo powder and clinging to her cousin for dear life.

Estella fell out of the fireplace, not knowing if she was falling up, or down. A pair of strong arms caught her, and someone lifted her up, carrying her out of the room with the fireplace. "Estella," murmured a man's voice, and she heard some serpents hissing in the background, but couldn't hear them enough to understand.

"I didn't mean to," she moaned softly, tortured by the powerful venom running through her body. "I was asleep!"

"She's been asleep for over twenty-four hours," Megan reported. "She's got serpents on her right now, but I don't know how many. I don't know how many of them have bitten her."

She found herself lying on a bed, cold, shivering. She didn't know where she was, and her terror was growing. The man laid his hand on her forehead and murmured, "Easy, child. You'll be all right."

Estella whimpered with the agony of the venom and the cold, wanting to push it away. When she attempted to, the bitemates cried out at her, and she stopped. Tears threatened to escape her eyes, and she writhed against it all. The man swore, then gave an order and Megan left the room quickly. She didn't understand what was happening, but when she thrashed in pain, she heard one of the bitemates cry out and dry sobbed, not knowing what to do. Icythan faintly called to her to hold still, but her pain was terrible. She screamed.

The door burst open and Megan came in with another man, both of whom dashed over to the bed where the dark-haired girl screamed, writhing against her pain. "We've got to," the first man said harshly. "Megan, Corin, you have to do this with us. You two on that side."

She felt two hands on her forehead and another on each shoulder, while two hands clasped over her chest as she writhed, her eyes closed in agony. "Now!" Magic—cool, calming magic—flooded her entire body. She caught her breath sharply, her chest heaving, then drank in the relief, feeling the pain leave as the cool magic continued to play through her body.

Finally, she lay still, the bitemates calm on the bed next to her, as she tried to relax a little. She heard someone say her name and looked up, opening her eyes slowly.

A dark-haired man was looking down at her, and said softly, "I'm Jonathan Sage, Corin's father, and you're in my home. Megan and Corin brought you here through the Floo from the Slytherin Common Room. You'd just come from the Chamber of Secrets?"

Estella nodded, closing her eyes again. It was a very strange world that she'd opened her eyes to, and she wished that her father was there so that she could tell him all about what had happened to her. He didn't even know what she'd learned about the bitemates. She hoped he wouldn't be angry about it.

The other man sighed, and she realized it was Anthony Sage, Megan's father. "Reginald is going to be very upset when he hears that _this_ happened," he told his brother. "We were told to protect Estella, but we allowed this!"

A tear ran down Estella's cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered weakly, and turned her head away from the sound of their voices.

The same pair of strong arms lifted her up, and she felt herself being drawn into a gentle embrace. "It isn't your fault, Estella," Jonathan said quietly. "You were never taught properly. Not about basilisks, anyway. They are different from any other serpent kind there is, and they are dangerous, even to Parselmouths like us."

Estella felt the bitemates begin to slither over her again and her panic began to return. Jonathan lifted a hand and hissed, "Let Missstress ressst, bitematesss. You will be able to come back to her soon enough. She mussst recover firssst."

Jonathan held her for a moment longer, then asked, "When do you think you'll be ready to talk about what happened?"

"I—the bitemates," Estella stammered, unable to make sense of her own tongue. She shook her head, and felt the man rub her arm reassuringly.

"It's all right," he told her. "There's no hurry. We'll need to get a message off to someone, though."

"No," Estella whispered. "No one will be able to cover for me. I don't want—I don't want the Weasleys to find out." Her mouth curved bitterly, and she heard a soft sigh.

Megan bit her lip. "Lauren sent a message off to Snape that she had to open the Floo in the Common Room for a Code Red emergency," she said uncertainly.

Estella looked up, then reached into her pocket and drew her wand, making Megan and Corin step away from the bed. Both men raised an eyebrow at her, and she said, "I'm not going to do anything stupid." She bit her lip slightly, thinking of Tonks' happy laughter when they were discussing Quidditch, and pronounced, " **Expecto Patronum**."

Her Patronus formed before them as the four Sages gaped at it. The Patronus was not a Fox as normal, but was a large basilisk! "Oooh," Estella said with a sigh. "Well, he did say it could change form. Anyway." She turned back to address her Patronus. "Go to Professor Snape and tell him that Estella's had a little accident with some serpents and that she had to be taken to someone who could handle her."

Estella smirked slightly, then continued at Jonathan's prompting, "I'm at the home of Jonathan Sage, wherever that is. Obviously I came here by Floo, because hopefully Guage got the message to you already."

"Tell him to come here—" Jonathan began, but the Patronus had already left. "Who taught you the Patronus?"

"Professor Lupin," Estella replied.

"Do you want to talk now?" Anthony asked her, looking straight into her eyes.

Estella caught her breath quickly, then nodded. "I don't know where to begin, though. I'll probably sound really stupid."

The two men smiled at her, and Corin asked, "How many serpents do you have? Is this it?"

"No," the girl answered, glancing down at the basilisks. "This is only seven out of the seventeen. This makes fourteen of them that are bonded to me."

"Within two weeksss," Basari hissed. "I wasss on her wrissst lassst week too, but I had not bitten Missstress yet."

"Two weeks, and you'd imprinted fourteen young basilisks?" The four Sages gaped at her, and Megan shook her head in shame. "I should have known better."

"I wouldn't have let you stay," Estella told her. "It's not your fault."

Megan shook her head again. "No, I should have realized when Odessa bit you that you were already overloaded, but I just didn't—I was too slow. Then, when you didn't show up, I knew what had happened. I just hoped the venom hadn't torn you apart."

Estella sighed, "I don't suppose it did."

"Where did these basilisks come from?" Anthony asked her. "They're a special breed, Estella."

"I know," she whispered. "I've got to talk to Father about it, but there's no time, and I don't have a good way to contact him."

"Seventeen bitemates, Estella?" Anthony asked sternly. "Where were they?"

She flinched away from him. "I—I found them when I was on vacation in Egypt," she stammered. "Don't—don't—I didn't mean to cause trouble. I didn't know they belonged to Father, and I didn't know that I destroyed the place they'd lived in for centuries! I—I was just attracted to them somehow!"

The girl turned away, and Jonathan said, "Do you know the Parkington family history, child?"

"I learned it just two weeks ago," she whispered. "I didn't know what I was doing—I was so stupid. I need to talk to Father—" she buried her face in her hands. "I've ruined it. I've ruined it!"

"Jonathan?" came a voice, and his wife came into the room. "Oh, hello, everyone. Ah, Professor Snape is here to speak with you, Jonathan. He didn't state his business."

Jonathan nodded to her, then walked out of the room and she followed. Anthony turned back to Estella. "I don't think your father will be angry," he said. "I think he'll be pleased that there are bitemates still! Tabashi died, you know." Estella nodded, and he continued, "You know that we keep serpents for the Dark Lord, don't you?"

Estella stared at him, her eyes growing wide. "My parents went to the tombs, and Bill called the Aurors on them!" she gasped. "Da must have thought that the bitemates were all gone, especially if he found Tabashi dead! Oh no!"

She fell silent, closing her eyes in horror. After a moment of complete silence, she felt one of the basilisks taste her fingers, and reached down further, stroking it gently. "Missstress isss not at fault," said the basilisk softly, and Estella knew it was Tishri. "Missstress's magic, and the magic of her family isss tied to the bitematesss, ssso that they can sense when the othersss are nearby."

"That doesn't excuse me," Estella said, looking up at the ceiling as she held out her hands to the other bitemates. "I'm still to blame if Father gets in trouble with the Dark Lord."

"The Dark Lord will most likely be more concerned that the bitemates are well, rather than worried about wherever their home might have been moved," Jonathan replied. "Severus says that we've got until Wednesday. We have to have her back to the school by then, or her identity will get out."

"How do you know you can trust him?" Estella asked them.

Jonathan reached down and squeezed her right hand. "He's a man of his word. If he says we've got until Wednesday to get you well and back to school, he'll make sure that you're covered. It's going to be all right. Why don't you rest right now, Estella. We'll be coming in to check on you from time to time, Missy and I." Estella looked a little confused, and Jonathan clarified, "Missy is my wife, Melissa."

She nodded, and the others left, Megan squeezing her hand and saying, "I've got to go back to school, but Corin and I will tell the others that were in the Common Room that you'll be all right."

"Thanks," Estella told her friend. "You really helped me."

"Aw," Megan shrugged. "Parselmouths have to stick together. It's the only way to survive. Anyway, get well soon. Sleep well." She squeezed Estella's hand again, then hurried out of the room.

Estella nestled down under the blankets, the bitemates curled up next to her and coiled around her wrists. She asked them not to coil around her waist while she was lying down, afraid she'd hurt one of them. She noticed that one of them was missing.

"Nisi wasss taken by the old one," Tishri told his mistress. "She was injured, and he said he would help her."

"Oh." Estella sighed, then heard a bitemate through their connection.

"Nisi isss all right, Missstress," came the voice of the small basilisk. "She hasss warm, healing magic."

Estella felt terrible. "I hurt her," she whispered in shame.

Odessa curled up next to her mistress's chest. "We hurt Missstress. It isss only fair that she hurt one of usss during her pain."

The girl held Odessa close, sniffling a little as she fell asleep finally, exhausted after such a short time awake.

* * *

When she awoke, she found the woman that had come into the room earlier watching her. "Good, you're awake," said the woman, her light brown hair falling over her shoulders as she reached down to feel Estella's hand. "Your magic is almost returned to normal, too. Excellent, dear. Jonathan will be in here soon to make sure that you're healing properly."

Estella looked up at her. "Missy?" she asked, and the woman smiled.

"Yes, that's me."

"How do you stand living in a house full of Parselmouths when you're not one of them?" Estella questioned curiously.

"They are my husband and our children," Missy replied softly. "I love them, and they aren't terribly rude about their gift. They've ordered their serpents not to eat me." She laughed at her words, and Estella smiled a little.

Jonathan came into the room moments later and approached the bed. "How are you this evening?" he asked her with a slight smile, slipping his arm around his wife as the two stood there together.

Estella sat up, leaning back against her pillows a little. "I feel more alert," she answered, tilting her head to look at him. "More awake."

"Good," he said, then came over to her, feeling her right hand before he said, "May I see your other hand?" She lifted her left hand and he took it in his, feeling it gently before examining the two bites on it. "You have a serpent on this arm, Estella?"

"Yes," she answered him, touching her forearm where Odessa was curled. "Tishri says Odessa is the most deadly of the bitemates."

"She is the one that bit your neck," Jonathan mused, gently touching her neck with his wand. "Most recently, anyway. Your bites are healing well on your hand, arms, and neck. Where are the bites on your side?"

She bit her lip, then motioned to her ribs on her right side. Jonathan motioned his wife forward, and she leaned over Estella slightly, opening her robes on her side a little, following his instructions. Missy located the three bites on her side and Jonathan nodded in approval, opening a small jar of a thick whitish paste. "This is a salve that will draw the sting out of the bites and help them heal," he told Estella. "It won't disturb the bond."

Missy washed her hands in a bowl of water than was sitting nearby, then dipped two fingers into the salve. "It might be cold," she told the girl lying on the bed. "Hold still as much as you can."

Estella obeyed, holding still as the cold cream was applied to the bites on her side. Missy conjured a small patch, placing it over the bites on the girl's side. "The salve is caustic and will destroy robes," she cautioned the dark-haired girl. "The patch will keep the salve from getting on your robes until it is been absorbed into the skin." The woman closed the tear in Estella's robe, straightening the robe and smiling slightly at the girl.

She watched Missy apply the salve to her arms and hands, thinking about her two mothers and wishing they would be that carefully loving with her. She sat up as Missy gently dabbed the salve onto the bite on her neck, the woman tying the girl's hair back with her wand and setting a small patch over the bite. When the woman was finished, she washed her hands again, Jonathan closing the jar and slipping it into his pocket. Missy came back over to Estella, leaned down, and gave her a gentle hug. "You did well," she told her.

The girl put her arms around Missy, hugging her tightly. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Of course," Missy reassured her, then released her. She raised her hand and Summoned a robe from the trunk at the foot of the bed. "This is a robe of Megan's that she didn't wear much before she outgrew. You should probably change robes before supper. I'll come get you when it's time."

"Okay," Estella answered meekly. To her chagrin, when Missy turned to leave, Estella saw that her robe was eaten away where the salve on Estella's hands and arms had touched it. Jonathan slipped his hand up, cupping it over the torn places, magic crackling to repair the damage.

They headed for the door, and Estella marveled that neither of them had scolded her, especially right after Missy had warned her about the salve. _Was it because she was a guest, sickly, and didn't know better, or was it because they understood that she hadn't meant to do it, and actually cared about her?_

"Do I have to be alone?" The question burst from her, and she blushed as the two turned around. "I mean, for the day."

"Do you think you could handle Arabelle's questions?" Jonathan asked her with a smile.

"I think so," she said. "I just don't—don't want to be alone."

Missy nodded. "I'll tell her," she told the girl. "She's wanted to come see you, but we weren't sure if you'd appreciate visitors. Make sure you change your clothes first: Arabelle won't be allowed to join you until you've changed." Missy smiled at the dark-haired girl, then left the room with her husband.

Estella lay there a moment, then hurried to change into the robe Missy had given her. It resized to fit her perfectly, and Estella felt a Temperature Charm, as well as a couple other enchantments that were on the robe. Moments later, she heard a knock at the door and called, "Come in!"

The door opened, and a younger girl, about nine or ten years old, wandered into the room. "Hi," she said. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks," Estella shrugged, pushing the covers up on the bed so that she and Arabelle could sit down. "I guess I was a mess when I came in."

"Oh, it's okay," Arabelle answered calmly, sitting down beside her cousin. "We've had just as bad of experiences. It was a good thing that Megan brought you to our dad. Corin wonders why she didn't take you to her dad, but Megan wouldn't say. I don't know."

"I like your mum and dad," Estella told Arabelle honestly. "They're really, really nice, even though I was scared to death. And I burnt your mother's robes, and neither of them said anything about it to me. They're so amazing, Arabelle. You're so lucky."

Arabelle grinned and nodded. "I'm home by myself because Ana had a sleepover with Peony because Ana just turned eleven. Peony won't be eleven until July, but the two are still celebrating. We had just sent Ana through the Floo when Corin arrived, telling us that Megan was coming with you. Father sent me and Corin away with Mum, and waited for you and Megan to come through the fireplace."

Estella smiled gratefully. "I didn't really know what was going on by the time I was put in bed. I don't even know what happened—the magic healed me."

"Yes," agreed Arabelle. "Sharing magic, especially between the four Sages that helped you yesterday, is a very powerful way to even out magic and level the venom. It helped your body to accommodate all the venom and foreign magic that was present in it. You were really sick, Dad said. He sent Megan off to get her dad, when our dad can usually solve our problems himself."

"I guess I was too far gone," snorted Estella, and the bitemates hissed, some in amusement, some in disapproval.

"How many bitemates do you have?" Arabelle asked. "Father says I may choose mine when I turn eleven. Ana chose hers just before she left for Peony's house: they aren't bonded, though. Father told her she had to be home—and then you arrived, all shot up with basilisk venom."

The bitemates hissed in protest, and Estella laughed softly. "I have seventeen bitemates, and I have been bitten by fourteen of them. Icythan I have carried with me longer than the others, and Odessa has bitten me twice."

"The bitematesss almossst killed Missstress," Tishri said in shame. "We forgot she isss ssstill a little one, even though she isss big. She cannot take that much venom: Tabashi only told us how the other bitematesss were bonded to Missstress's sssire. He did not warn usss that she wasss little, and we did not think of it."

"Father says binding basilisks to children is highly dangerous," Arabelle told her cousin. "That's why he wants Ana at home when she does hers. He wants to be able to watch over her. He did the same thing with Corin, and so did Megan's dad with her."

"So your serpents are basilisks too?" Estella asked, smiling as her bitemates slithered out of her robes and into her lap or around her arms and wrists. Odessa stayed firmly on her mistress's arm, hidden beneath the sleeve.

"Yes," Arabelle answered. "The Parkington basilisks and the Sage basilisks are descended from the same line, but are apart from each other. Our dad, his sister, and Megan's dad raised three serpents from eggs, and split off their descendants. We have the descendants of Sonsha, the second basilisk. Megan has Sisha, who has no descendants and is the first of the three. Our aunt holds the third, Shasta, who has no descendants, only a clutch of seven eggs. We are excited for that."

"Will she bond with all seven?" Estella asked curiously.

Arabelle shrugged. "We don't know what she will choose. She is not married, but she's not a serpent keeper for the Dark Lord, either. Aunt Sionara will probably be the one to make sure that the Sage line of basilisks continues. All the other basilisks the Sages have are warriors."

Missy came back into the room, adding, "Although we do more healing than making war at the moment. Coming to dinner, you two?"

The fair-haired girl jumped up off the bed, turning and motioning to Estella. "Come on!" she said happily. "You'll get to see the basilisks being fed."

The three of them headed to the dining room, and Jonathan glanced up at them, watching the serpents that were on the floor a certain distance away from the table. "Would you like to do the honours, Aria?"

"Sure," she answered, and her father handed her his wand carefully. She set a ward around the basilisks, then opened a small cupboard overhead and pulled out a jug of milk, pouring some into the two dishes at either end of her ward. Aria then opened the cage of small rodents that was close by on a shelf, levitating a couple out of the cage onto the floor inside the ward. The Sage basilisks were inspecting the dish of milk carefully before they drank any. Aria levitated two or three other rodents into the ward, then shut the cage and closed the cupboard.

"Very good," Jonathan praised her, taking his wand back and squeezing his daughter's shoulder gently. She beamed happily.

Estella hushed her basilisks that had all started hissing, " _Hisssusss_! _Hisssusss_!" when they saw the rodents. "Aria, what are those rat things?"

Arabelle grinned as one of the basilisks on the floor turned, sighting a small four legged creature scampering around. "They're gerbils. The basilisks prefer them to any other rodent right now. Gerbils multiply like you would not believe, so they're a really good choice to keep around. I keep a couple as pets, breeding pairs, actually. I'm responsible to keep the gerbils breeding."

"That's not all they eat, is it?" Estella asked. "And why the milk?"

"No," Jonathan answered as Missy called them all back to the table. "The gerbils are only a delicacy the basilisks get about one or two times a week. As fast as the gerbils breed, they don't grow fast enough to match the basilisks' need for food. The milk they are given makes their venom stronger."

"Oh." Estella raised an eyebrow at the basilisks that were now stalking the gerbils. "They're so tiny!"

Aria nodded as her mother motioned her to hand one of the food dishes down the table. "These basilisks are hatchlings," she told Estella. "Hatched in March."

Estella raised her eyebrows. "A month ago? Two months ago?"

"Yes," Jonathan told her. "About the middle of March. Their venom will continue to strengthen until they are four months old, and they will be ready for complete bonding then."

"Corin has two basilisks with him," Aria explained to her cousin. "He got two instead of just one because they wouldn't agree on who should bite him. So both of them did. They're only pre-bonded because the venom hasn't fixed yet. When the basilisks are old enough, Corin will make sure they are completely bonded to him."

"Oh," said Estella again, taking some mashed potatoes onto her plate. "I wondered if that would change how strong the bonds were."

Missy nodded. "Do you know how old your bitemates are?"

Estella conferred with her basilisks, and Behinga told her that the bitemates would be a year old the next moon. She repeated the information for Missy's benefit, and she smiled at the dark-haired girl.

"So your bonds should be complete with the second bite," Arabelle said. "Right, Dad?"

"That's right," Jonathan confirmed. "But if you got the bitemates last summer, and Icythan bit you before he was four months old, he will need to bite you twice to solidify the bond."

"Okay," Estella realized. "Yes, he was only two months, I think.

The bitemates confirmed her words, and once again demanded something to eat. Jonathan motioned to Arabelle. "Tell her the ward; then let her give her basilisks some of the gerbils. We seem to have a surplus of them right now."

Arabelle nodded, then turned to Estella and explained the Containment Ward she'd used for the gerbils and basilisks. Estella hissed to her bitemates, then performed the ward, and the serpents slithered off of her into it. Arabelle told her, "Put six _hisssusss_ in the ward for the six bitemates. They need not fight over them."

Estella smiled as she did so, commenting that the gerbils seemed really sweet. Arabelle laughed. "They like to bite whenever they're handled by humans. It's like they know they're destined to be bitten back."

The girls laughed, and the two adults smiled to themselves as they ate their own food. "Wait," said Estella. "Where is Nisi? She was taken last night, and never came back. Is she all right?"

"She was injured," Jonathan answered softly. "Anthony is taking care of her. He does a better job of healing serpents than I do."

"But she'll be all right?" demanded Estella and the basilisks at the same time.

"He believes she will be fine," Jonathan reassured her. "Nisi merely needed warm magic and a correction spell to align her scales again."

Estella sighed gratefully. "Will she be back by the time I have to return to school?"

Arabelle smiled slightly. "If she is not, we will get her to you, one way or another."

The adults confirmed their daughter's words, and Estella glanced at her happy basilisks before turning back to her own meal.

* * *

The next afternoon, the Sages sent Estella back to Hogwarts, Jonathan giving her advice about the basilisks first. "Remember that you'll need to complete the bond with Icythan, Estella," he told her gently, but urgently. "He would probably be the one most closely bonded to you so far, but the bond needs to be solidified. Also, the ones that have bitten you recently will need to bite you a second time before their bonds are finished. The last three, of course, will need the entire bonding process."

Estella nodded, gently stroking Nisan, who was curled around her neck. Jonathan added a warning: "No more bites until the middle of June, Estella. Your magic must heal and incorporate the bonds already begun. Overloading will only hurt you and the bitemates. You must be patient to bond with them."

"Yes, sir," she answered, looking up at him.

"Very good," he said with a smile, then motioned her to follow him to the room with the Floo. His wife and daughter were already waiting for them there, the fire roaring and ready to transport Estella back to school.

"It's been so good having you here," Missy told her, enfolding her in a hug. "I've enjoyed getting to know you a little better."

Estella squeezed her back before Arabelle almost knocked her over with a fierce hug. "I don't want you to leave!" protested the girl. "But you've got to go back to school! It's not fair!"

The dark-haired girl laughed drily. "Life in general isn't fair," she agreed with her cousin. "I love you. See you later."

"Bye," said the youngest Sage, and gave Estella another firm hug. "Maybe I'll write to you."

"Okay," Estella agreed, and Missy gently placed her hand on Aria's shoulder, making her step back.

Jonathan smiled down at her, slipping his arm around her shoulders and giving her a slight hug. "It's been good having you here," he said. "You're such a sweet child."

Estella was about to ask him what he meant when her bitemates all began to hiss, "Missstress, Missstress, Nisi isss coming! Missstress mussst not leave until she arrivesss! The one who holdsss her saysss!"

"Well, tell him to hurry up," Estella commanded her bitemates, making Jonathan and Arabelle laugh.

Moments later, Anthony Sage stepped out of the Floo and smirked down at Estella as her basilisks hissed for their bitemate. "'Missstress saysss hurry up,'" he hissed at her. "Very becoming of a young one." Estella merely glared at him, seeing him raise an eyebrow. "Her eyes change colour, just like Meretta's," Anthony said in astonishment, allowing Nisi to slither back to her mistress. "It's obvious whose child she is. I don't see how anyone could mistake her for anyone less."

Estella stroked Nisi gently as she hissed to her bitemates, who were slithering down their mistress's arms to greet her. "What do you mean, Sage?" she asked him without looking up.

The dark-haired man looked at her again. "You act like your father did, around the bitemates. You have his Parseltongue, and you have his basilisks as well."

"She also has his sense of urgency," chuckled Jonathan.

"If your father's Parselmouth influence was removed," Anthony told the girl, "you would look, and act, most likely, like your mother. You already resemble her greatly, especially when you're angry or upset."

"Enough," said Missy, placing her hands on Estella's shoulders. Not only did the brothers stop talking, but Estella's basilisks slithered beneath her robes out of sight. Leading the girl over to the fireplace, Missy pulled the jar of Floo powder down from the mantle. "When you're in the flames, say 'Slytherin Common Room,'" she told Estella. "There will be a prefect there to greet you. Go on, now. Be good the rest of the school year."

The Parkington nodded, then took some Floo powder, stepped into the fire, and called, "Slytherin Common Room!"

When Estella had gone, Missy turned to her husband and his brother. "Jonathan," she said, chidingly. "Anthony, Estella doesn't like talking about her mother. You shouldn't be comparing them, especially in front of her. Her mother is already going to do a lot of that, and it's not going to be very comfortable."

The Sage brothers glanced at each other, then nodded at Missy. "I don't think she likes me," Anthony commented. "I have no idea why, though."

"Probably because you took one of her bitemates completely away from her without telling her," Jonathan answered. "She'll be all right. She's a good child: much better than I expected her to be."


	37. More Advice and Explanations

Estella Parkington stepped out of the Floo into the Slytherin Common Room, seeing Lauren and Alvin standing there together. "Hi," Estella said quietly, and Lauren was about to speak when a cool voice interrupted.

"Nice excuse, Parkington."

"It wasn't an excuse!" snapped a girl's voice, and Estella turned to see Megan glaring at Draco. "She had too much venom, and it was rending her magic!"

Draco smirked at Estella. "Likely."

Estella turned away from him. "You could never understand, Draco," she said softly.

"She has seventeen bitemates," Meris told the ones in the room. "Better think twice before threatening her."

"And add me to the list of people you can't use _Serpensortia_ on," laughed Estella, turning back to Draco and grinning.

The blonde boy laughed a second later, and said, "Not that I can't. More likely: it wouldn't end well."

Lauren and Alvin walked past them all, heading for the door to the rest of the dungeons. "Don't make a mess," Lauren cautioned them, then left.

Laughing, the Lestrange cousins shook their heads at the two prefects. "So tell us about when Potter's 'gift' was discovered," Karnt said, nudging Malfoy's feet over and putting his own up on the table as Draco scowled at him.

"There was a Dueling Club last year," Estella answered to stop the twins from annoying their cousin any more. "Lockhart and Professor Snape chose Harry and Draco to duel after them. After some lesser spells, Draco cast _Serpensortia_ , Lockhart volunteered to get rid of it but only made it mad, and it was about to attack Justin Finch-Fletchley when Harry told it not to. After that, everyone was afraid of Harry for quite some time. Scary Dark Wizard, that Potter."

"Right?" said Megan, and the three Parselmouths laughed together, the others laughing at Potter and those that had been afraid of him.

"Have a seat," Meris told Ginny, pointing to the couch beside him.

Estella bit her lip. "Actually, I've got to—"

"Sit." Corin gave her a pointed look from the other side of Meris, and Estella huffed, sitting down as she was told.

"Wow," smirked Draco. "She listens well!"

"Not to Ron, and not to you," Estella replied, looking up at the ceiling. "You know, I wonder what happened to that boa constrictor."

Megan looked alarmed. "What?"

The dark-haired girl grinned. "Harry went to a Muggle zoo and set a boa constrictor free," she told them. "Then he locked his cousin in the serpent's enclosure."

The boys laughed, and Megan asked, "What happened then?"

"Ah, Harry got locked in his room under the stairs, and the zookeepers had to come rescue Harry's cousin from the boa constrictor exhibit. I'm surprised he fit," Ginny added. "Harry says his cousin was about the size of Crabbe or Goyle."

"Well, why did he set it free?" Corin asked. "Those things are dangerous? Shouldn't Potter know better?"

"No better than I would have at nearly eleven years old," Estella replied. "Ron said Harry told him that the constrictor wanted to return to its rainforest habitat. I don't blame it."

"And if it eats a few Muggles, who cares?" asked one of the older girls.

Estella looked at her sharply. "Harry wouldn't want to be responsible for something like that. He really didn't mean to let it go, but he felt boxed in himself, so he let the serpent out. Accidentally-on-purpose, you know."

The others smirked, and Rohan asked, "Do you know how much 'accidental' magic Potter's done?"

She shook her head. "I only know that Harry accidentally inflated his cousin's aunt and made her float away this past summer," she shrugged. The Slytherins gathered around burst out laughing. "I don't know of anything else, though."

"Enough Potter," Guage sighed, annoyed with all the talk about Harry. "Shall we head down to supper? Estella?"

"I've actually got something to do before supper," Estella shrugged. "Then I'll be down." Megan looked at her suspiciously, and Estella answered, "I've jussst got to drop off mossst of the bitematesss to the Chamber. Then I'll be heading down for sssupper."

Megan gave her a searching look, then said, "Guage, please save a seat for Stel and me. We'll join you shortly."

Estella stood and Megan followed as Estella complained, "Who said I wanted you to come with me? Who said you were allowed?"

"I've been charged to keep you from killing yourself on accident," Megan replied, walking by her side as they exited the Common Room again. "I think I need to go with you."

"Are your father and uncle that worried about me?" Estella asked in surprise.

"You're important, Estella," Megan sighed. "All last year, you had absolutely no idea that we were specially related through the bloodline of Salazar Slytherin. You had no idea that both of our families raise a species of basilisk that our ancestors created. You had no idea about your place as a Parselmouth, or even in the Parkington/Sage family. But it's coming to you, and you're coming into your own. My father and his brother are very excited, although they are concerned, because your own father has not been there to teach you. Because I am in your year, they want me to keep a special watch out for you just in case something else happens."

As they headed into the Chamber together, Estella finally replied, "I guess I feel like I've discovered another world within a world. Would it be an insult to say that I feel like I fell into an underworld of Parseltongue?" Megan smiled and shook her head as they entered the main room, then continued on to the sand room.

The two girls sat down in the sand together, the bitemates coming to them as they allowed their magic to crackle around them, making the bitemates hiss happily. "Icythan," Estella called, and he came to her happily. "Bitematesss," she said happily, giggling as she lay back and the seventeen bitemates slithered around her, hissing.

Several minutes later, Megan and Estella got up, stroking the bitemates gently as they slithered back to the sand, Icythan alone remaining on Estella's right arm. "Goodbye," she said softly to the rest. "I'll come visit, but I've been ordered to take a ressst by the little brother Sssage."

Megan laughed, and the two exited the Chamber, heading toward the Great Hall. They found the seats Guage had saved and realized that those that had been in the Common Room when Estella had arrived were seated all around them. Sitting down, the two began their meal, laughing and talking with the others around.

Moments later, Lauren came over, telling Estella, "Be careful who you invite into the castle. It's not widely known that there's that spot in the dungeons, Stel."

Estella nodded in agreement, just as Percy joined them. "Estella?" he said softly. "I heard you had some...complications. I'm glad you're back, and all right." The Slytherins were watching him, waiting for him to say something stupid, but he told her, "Avoid Fred and George right now. They're really embarrassed by what happened during the celebration." She didn't seem to know what he meant, and Percy added, "With that rowdy squirrel?"

The dark-haired girl burst into giggles, remembering that Tonks had run straight up Fred's robe and chattered merrily into his ear without being embarrassed at all. "Oh," she said. "Do they know...?"

"No," Percy said. "I told them that it was Roda, and they have no idea. They're not keen on looking her up, either. Anyway, Stel. Avoid them: they know you saw it happen. They think you disappeared to keep them from hexing you after everything you've done recently."

"Tell them Malfoy thinks the same thing," Megan laughed, looking up at the Head Boy, and Draco glared at her. "Except that he blames her for Roda being here—which is completely unacceptable behaviour for a Parkington."

"That was my idea," Percy told her. "She isn't to blame for that girl's visit to the school. Well, I'm off. Later, Stel."

She nodded at him, and he walked off. Lauren looked down at her in slight surprise, and Megan grinned, "He was amused that Draco thinks like the Weasley twi—" she ducked a hex Draco flung at her, which hit a Ravenclaw behind her, knocking him to the ground. "Oops," Megan giggled.

Lauren sighed, going over to the Ravenclaw and undoing the hex, reassuring the Ravenclaw (who wasn't reassured) that it had been an accident. She mildly chided Draco, grinning the whole time, and Megan snickered with Estella, both hissing together in Parseltongue.

"Estella!" cried two voices, and Estella turned to see Brianna and Samantha arrive in the Great Hall. "Where have you been?" demanded Samantha. "We heard that you were injured and had to be taken out of Hogwarts for a couple days. Where were you?"

"I was being treated for venom shock and for disrupted magic," Estella replied. "But I'm all right now. What have you two been up to?"

"Nothing much," Brianna said evasively, and Estella and Samantha shared a knowing glance.

Estella shrugged. "Okay. How's classes?"

Samantha snorted. "You sound like a visiting graduate. Shut up, and rejoin us, and then we can discuss matters of general interest."

Laughing, Estella motioned the two to sit down and eat. Brianna turned to Corin and Meris, who were on Estella's other side from Megan and Guage. "Move, boys."

"No," Corin answered.

"We were here first," Meris added. "She sits with you all the time anyway."

"Don't argue," groaned Estella with a sigh. "We can sit together in the Common Room, girls. I'll be around."

The Charleston twins frowned at the two younger boys, then moved to sit down the table on the other side of Megan and Guage. Corin leaned closer to Estella and said, "Good thing you know how to pacify them. They're kind of...explosive usually."

Megan snorted in agreement, adding, "It's a good thing she's as familiar with them as she is. They are rather difficult to understand."

"I still don't understand sometimes," Estella said flatly. "D'you know, that as much as I know and have learned, I don't know any of my family very well? I still feel completely naïve over so much of everything—"

"That's because you _are_ naïve," Draco encouraged her from across the table.

"Just because you're a privileged little—" she broke into Parseltongue for a moment "doesn't mean that you're allowed to callously critique everyone else, Draco darling." She got up from the table and walked down a little way to tell the Charleston twins that she was heading to the Slytherin Common Room. Estella then walked off without waiting for a reply, escaping the Great Hall without running into anyone else.

Once in the Common Room, Estella sat down, but had no idea what she was to be doing because she'd missed two or three days of school. She was alone, although there were other students in the room with her.

A little while later, the twins came into the room, sitting down on either side of her. As they updated her on what had happened around the school, she told them what had happened, leaving out the part where she'd take Megan to the Chamber _twice_. Brianna gave her their classroom assignments, and Estella gratefully began to work on them, thinking toward exams. School would be out in a little over a month, and she could hardly wait.


	38. Finishing Up and Going Home

Estella didn't stay in Gryffindor except for a couple days the last week of May. Hermione was panicking over exams, falling asleep in the library, and the like; she reminded Estella of the exhaustion the journal had caused her first year. Estella decided to leave Hermione to her studies, and retired to the dungeons every night, studying with the five other Slytherin girls.

The exams weren't difficult, but Estella had to think very carefully about several of her Transfiguration answers. She still had some trouble with getting the actual spells, instead of just using magic to change things without an incantation. She did all right in Charms, and she aced her DADA exam. Estella did, however, think that she might have failed her Astronomy test. Brianna laughed when Estella told her that she'd forgotten to label one of the main stars, and might have mixed up the planets' locations. The twins were more concerned about History of Magic.

Estella yawned through her exam, jotting down some answers as she wondered what was in store for her Potions exam. She sighed as she wrote down the last answer for History of Magic, then turned her paper over, put her head down on the desk, and went to sleep until the end of class. Needless to say, Professor Binns did not think that was appropriate, although Tom was laughing in Ginny's mind.

Tom had been rather silent since Estella/Ginny had gone to the Sage home and learned about the basilisks. She thought he was jealous of her, but didn't talk to him about it, feeling awkward enough.

Megan and Corin were more friendly to her now that they'd all been at the house together, and both of them seemed more comfortable with her. Estella was glad that Megan and her cousins were Parselmouths and knew how to advise her about the bitemates. She couldn't wait until she was able to bond with the other basilisks, but she was slightly scared, too.

Estella turned her attention back to her exam, putting her quill and ink away, readying to head back to the Common Room. Some of the Gryffindor boys were groaning about how they were certain they'd failed their exam, and she snorted, shaking her head. "I'm going to fail Potions," she told them, grinning.

"Really?" Stanley and Colin asked together, and the first boy added, "If you fail, we'll know it's hopeless. You're one of the smartest students in our year!"

"But...it's Potions," Ginny nodded wisely. "And Snape. It's an exam, and he doesn't like me anyway—"

"He doesn't like anyone," Ben said with a shrug. "Join the party. Come on: it's the last exam. We can pass all the others, fail Potions, and get away with it still." Laughing, Ginny and the boys headed down to the dungeons, the other Gryffindors straggling behind them.

Once they were in the dungeons, they were set at separate cauldrons, and told to brew the potion that was on the board. Ginny bit her lip and began as quickly as she was allowed, knowing there wouldn't be enough time to finish if she didn't hurry. She thought it was rather strange that her class would have to brew Babbling Beverage when Gryffindors were known to yap without any help. Almost laughing at the thought, Ginny opened her potions book to the correct page and began her work.

When the class period was over, they left the dungeons, walking up toward the Great Hall for lunch. "Still think you failed?" Stanley asked her.

"Don't know," she replied. "There's no telling until I'm held back a year."

"Oh, yeah right," Ben told her. "Whatever you say; we know better. The others in our year can't compare to you very well."

Blushing, Ginny shrugged, sitting between Stanley and Ben at the Gryffindor table. "Thanks," she said in a small voice, before turning and seeing a bunch of seventh years come into the Hall.

Percy came over to Ginny. "Just finished Defense!" he said, high-fiving Ginny with both hands and sighing in relief. "It was amazing! Got Potions after lunch. How about you?"

"Just finished Potions," Ginny reported with a smile. "I think I did all right. Good going, Perce."

"Do you have any exams left, or are you finished?" he asked her.

"I'm through with them," she answered, grinning. "Thank goodness. I think I messed up in Transfig, but the rest should be all right—well, and I kind of messed up in Astronomy too."

The Head Boy smiled. "Oh well. You should have passed everything: you're smart enough," he told her. "I hope you did your best, though. I've got to eat before Potions, Ginny. I'll talk to you later." And Percy was off to find a seat along the Gryffindor House table.

Ginny went up to Gryffindor Tower when she was finished eating, finding Hermione talking to Harry and Ron in low tones. "Um, is something going on?" she asked them.

"N—no," Harry said.

"He liesss," Icythan hissed softly. "The Serpent-killer liesss."

Harry looked alarmed. "Ginny, how does he know that?"

Ron and Hermione looked confused. "How does who know what?"

Ginny sat down in a chair opposite the three, Icythan slithering onto her lap. "He knows that Harry wasn't telling the truth when he said 'nothing' was going on," she answered. "Serpents like Icythan can discern subtle differences in magic and tell what they mean."

"I forgot you had him," grumbled Ron. "So much for that."

"What'sss going on, Serpent-killer?" Icythan asked, amused at the dark-haired boy's discomfort.

"I sssaid not to call me that," Harry said in annoyance.

Hermione and Ron gasped at Harry: "Don't speak to it!"

Icythan looked directly at the two, raising his head from his mistress's lap. "I am not an 'it'!"

"He doesn't like to be called 'it,'" Ginny said calmly. "So what's going on, you three?"

"Um, Professor Trelawney went into a trance during Harry's Divination exam," Hermione sighed. "But I'm not sure it was _real_!"

"Hermione, I know that we all agree Divination is garbage," Harry said to her, "but I think this was real. She didn't even remember it had happened!"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "What did she say? That the world will end tomorrow?"

The three shook their heads, and Harry answered, "She said Voldemort is returning soon."

"Harry!" shouted Ron and Hermione together. "Don't say his name!"

"She said the Dark Lord is returning?" Ginny asked, then could have kicked herself at the look on the faces of the two.

"Ginny, only his followers call him that!" hissed Ron. "You shouldn't say that!"

"No, Ron, those that _respect_ him refer to him that way," Ginny answered. "Of course I'm not Dark, or anything like that, but I hate saying long sentences when I could simply refer to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as 'The Dark Lord.' It saves time and words."

Harry nodded. "I don't know what she meant, though."

Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I told you, Harry, that if you really thought it was important, you would go to Dumbledore about it. Obviously, it's not that important if you don't want to tell Dumbledore."

Harry just shook his head, looking down, and Ginny said, "The Dark Lord will be returning. He only disappeared for some time because of the Accident. Most everyone who believes that, also believes that he will be returning quite soon."

"So you think it's important?" Harry asked her.

"I think that, however true her trance was," Ginny replied, "that the Dark Lord will not be staying away forever. He will return, and we must be ready—well, at least those who are of age must be ready." She rolled her eyes, got up, and headed out of the Common Room.

 _Screwed,_ she thought to herself. _Everyone knows the Dark Lord is coming back. I hope it's not my fault: I can't control my dreams. Although nobody should have told the old quack about my dream. I bet her trance_ _was real_.

Ginny bit her lip nervously, becoming Estella and heading down to the dungeons. She joined her Slytherin friends, who were all excited about the end of exams party that they were going to have that night.

The party was in full swing before supper: most of Slytherin House did not attend supper because they ate in the Common Room at the party. Games of Quit and Truth and Dare started up, and Estella joined Truth or Dare, grinning and laughing with the rest of the Slytherins playing.

"Truth or Dare, Parkington?" Draco sneered at her.

"Dare," she answered flatly, returning his smirk.

"Very good," he said. "Lauren: call it."

Lauren turned back to him. "Who? Oh. Parkington. Um...I dare you to...set someone's robe on fire."

Draco looked at his cousin, astonished, just as Estella pointed her wand at Pansy and hissed (P), " **Incendio**!"

Pansy's shriek drew attention from all over, and one of the girls near Pansy put out the flames quickly. Draco glared at Lauren. "Are you crazy?" he asked her angrily.

Alvin slipped his arm around Lauren's waist, and the two walked away after the blonde girl shrugged apologetically. Pansy was glaring at Estella in fury, and Estella shrugged. "I was dared."

"You burned me!" she shrieked.

"The fire burned you, actually," Estella answered. "I was dared to set someone's robe on fire. If you need Madam Pomfrey—" she ducked a Curse from her angry cousin.

Draco tried to distract Pansy, who was glaring at her cousin, checking the burn on her left arm. "Lauren dared her, Pansy," he said. "I think Lauren's gone a little fuzzy during her exams."

Pansy glared at Draco and Estella. "I can't imagine any of what you and Lauren were thinking!" she snapped at them, then stormed out of the Common Room.

"That was not a bright idea, Parkington," Megan told her, and the other girl sighed.

"It was a Dare! I'd rather not be Imperiused, if it's all the same to you," Estella retorted. "Who knows what would have happened?"

"We wanted to _Imperio_ you," Karnt complained. "But we wouldn't have chosen the Parkinson as the victim. She doesn't take things like that very well."

Estella laughed at the Lestrange twins, then shrugged. "Sorry. I wanted to make sure I didn't really hurt anyone. Pansy's bark is usually worse than her bite. Although I'm not sure she'll be content to just bark after she's healed."

Draco just shook his head. "Megan: Truth or Dare?"

The game went on, but Estella merely watched, taking her supper up to her room and eating alone there, instead of in the Common Room with her friends. She set her dishes aside after a few minutes, and went to sleep, tired out from her exams.

* * *

The blonde girl sat up suddenly, awakened from a sound sleep. Her boyfriend's arms fell from around her, and she breathed worriedly, "He's trapped."

The boy stirred, and she reached over, shaking him. "Alvin, wake up! We've got to go now!"

"Wha—no, stop!" he protested.

"Wake up!" she ordered him. " **Enervate**!"

"Lauren!" he moaned, rubbing his eyes. "It's the middle of the night. Why are we out here?" Alvin glanced around at the empty classroom.

She sighed, straightening her robes. "We fell asleep sharing magic," she answered, getting to her feet. "Come on."

Alvin sighed and got to his feet. "What's going on?"

Lauren bit her lip. "Something's wrong," she said. "We've got to go: someone's trapped—"

"How do you know?" he asked, confused. "We were just asleep!"

"I—I just know," she answered firmly. "Either come with me, or go back to the Common Room." He sighed and followed her as she hurried from the room and toward the main part of the castle, further away from the dungeons.

"Wait!" he said suddenly after several minutes, and the two darted to a window, looking out into the grounds. "What's up there?" Alvin pointed to one of the towers, seeing something up near one of the windows.

She caught her breath. "That's that hippogryff that Draco was trying to get executed," she answered. "It was marked for death tonight, but it's free!"

As the two watched, they saw someone climb out the window and get onto the creature. They realized there was more than one person already on it! They stopped on the Astronomy Tower, and Lauren gasped. "That's the Golden Trio: I'm sure of it!"

"What are they doing?" Alvin asked, then stared at the lone figure on the hippogryff flying away from the school. "Lauren, that's got to be—"

"Sirius Black!" Lauren gasped. "We've got to tell Professor Snape!"

"But—!" protested Alvin, confused, hurrying after the girl. "What are we going to tell him? Why did they let Black get away? If it was him, they'll be—"

"I don't understand," Lauren breathed as she broke into a run through the dungeons, heading toward Snape's office. "But perhaps he will. He should know, anyway, and he is our Head of House. He's always wanted a reason to have Potter and his friends expelled."

The two ended their run at Snape's office door, glancing at each other nervously. Alvin sighed at her and knocked loudly on the door. Moments later, the door opened and Snape glared out at them. "What," he snarled, "is so important that you would risk interrupting your Head of House in the middle of the night?"

"Professor," Lauren said urgently, "we just saw the Golden Trio send Sirius Black off with the hippogryff that was due for execution this week. The Trio was headed down the Astronomy Tower when we saw them."

"Get back to your Common Room," Snape ordered the two prefects, his eyes blazing with anger. "Do not be seen." He disappeared back into his office, then came back out, dressed and wand at the ready. "I'm not used to repeating myself," he snarled at them, and the two prefects hurried down the corridor toward their Common Room as Snape headed in the opposite direction.

When Lauren and Alvin arrived in the Slytherin Common Room, they found several students gathered near the fireplace, shivering. Lauren looked around and asked softly, "What's going on here?"

Some looked up, and Draco answered, looking more pale than usual, "It felt like dementors, Lauren. We all woke up feeling that there were dementors nearby. But they aren't here."

"They must have been overhead, then," Theo answered, shivering slightly. "Around the lake, or something."

"It was a while ago," Brianna said, her cloak wrapped snugly around her. "I put Samantha under a Sleeping Spell, and only Riker and Guage woke besides me. Estella and Megan are still asleep."

"We'll check the dormitories," Lauren said, motioning Alvin toward the boys' dorm. "Warming spells, if needed. And, perhaps we should send someone down to the kitchens for chocolate."

Draco muttered something and a house-elf appeared in front of him, the other Slytherins raising their eyebrows at each other. "Get us chocolate," he ordered the elf, and it was gone and back before anyone could say anything. "Here," he muttered, and the others helped pass the chocolate around.

The three Lestranges were sitting together on the floor by the fire, the twins' eyes full of terror. Meris bit his lip. "What do you think they were there for? Do you think they caught Black?"

"Don't know," said several others. "It's too cold and too dark to think."

" **Expecto Patronum** ," came a soft voice, and a Patronus joined the three Lestranges near the fireplace. The Slytherins in the Common Room looked up to see Megan and Estella coming down the staircase, Lauren following them.

Estella walked over to the Lestrange cousins and Brianna asked, "What woke you?" Icythan peeked out of his mistress's sleeve, and Brianna said, "Oh."

"He was talking about the Patronus that was watching over Samantha," Estella almost whispered, kneeling by the twins. "Karntaan? Rohan?" The two small boys were holding on to each other, and she sighed softly, saying, "I'm going to do a special Warming Spell, all right?" Neither of them reacted to her words, and she did the blue spell that Tom had taught her on both of them.

"Stel?" Meris asked, looking up at her carefully.

"Are you all right?" she asked him as the twins both shuddered. Estella slipped her arms around Karnt and Rohan's shoulders, rubbing them reassuringly.

Meris nodded. "The boys woke me up: they seemed to be having nightmares, but I realized that it felt more like the dementors on the train. I woke them and brought them down here, but...they were only like that." The older Lestrange looked at his younger cousins, who both had their eyes closed and were leaning against Estella. "Only worse," he added.

Draco looked over at the three Lestranges thoughtfully, then handed Meris the chocolate. "Where's Pansy, Lauren? Is she still asleep?"

Lauren shook her head slightly. "She never came back from the Hospital Wing." The blonde boy sighed, and his cousin came over to sit by him. "Are you all right?" she asked him softly.

"Yeah," he muttered back. "Do you know what happened?"

"Black got away," she told him quietly. "Alvin and I saw it: the Golden Trio helped him."

"That's why the dementors?" Draco asked sharply. "They were after the prisoner? Why would Potter—he's so stupid!"

Lauren sighed. "I think they were after Black: I mean, it makes sense. If Sirius was running around the grounds, the dementors would have been following him. I don't understand why he climbed out a tower window, though."

He frowned at her. "Did you report that?"

"Yes, and Snape went to take care of the Trio," Lauren answered. "He sent us back to the Common Room and told us not to get caught. I guess things are happening tonight." She got up and began to check on those that were in the Common Room, distributing chocolate and Summoning cloaks for those that didn't have them.

" **Accio Cloak** ," Meris said, twice, and helped Estella slip the cloaks around the twins' shoulders.

Estella moved to help others, but Rohan's grip tightened on her, and she stopped moving, looking at him. His eyes were open, but they were unseeing, and she gulped, slipping both arms around him as Meris took care of the other twin. She did a Warming Charm on his cloak, then leaned against the couch, the small boy's head against her chest. Meris had his arm around Karnt's shoulders and placed the Warming Charm on the other boy's cloak. The Parkington and the three Lestranges sat there for over half an hour before they fell asleep, Estella's Patronus watching over them.

Meris and Estella woke when Snape walked into the Common Room and cast a blanket spell over the room that warmed everything up. "Professor," Lauren said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "Were there dementors around the lake last night? We felt the effects of it—"

Snape nodded curtly. "Are there any who need the Hospital—whose Patronus is that?"

The Patronus promptly disappeared, and Estella looked up, still holding on to Rohan. "It's mine, Professor," she told him. "The twins were in bad shape last night." She looked down at the boy who was still asleep, then glanced over at Meris, who was talking to Karnt to wake him up.

"All Slytherins must attend lunch today," Snape said firmly. "It has been discovered that your Defense teacher is a werewolf: there will be...changes."

A lot of the students in the room gasped, including Meris, and Karnt stirred softly. Meris shifted his position, and Karnt stretched slightly, opening his eyes to see his Head of House looking at him. "Hello?" he said uncertainly. "I didn't do something stupid, did I?"

Draco smirked. "You did pose rather awkwardly for the family photo Lauren took last night."

Estella glared up at him. "You did _not_ photograph the four of us sleeping on the floor."

"Sure they did," yawned Theo, sitting up in one of the chairs as Snape walked by him, leaving the Common Room. "Draco, the Charlestons, and the Sages joined you, and Lauren took the photo."

"Wait...who slept on the floor?" Karnt said, confused, and sat up.

"We did," Estella rolled her eyes. "You, your brother, Meris, and I. Do you really have a picture, Lauren?" The girl nodded. "I'll bet it's a weird picture, isn't it? The Charlestons probably look like they lost their marbles, the Sages probably look like they're about to conquer the world, and Malfoy, of course, looks perfectly fabulous." Shouts of laughter greeted this statement, and Estella added, "But Parkington and the Lestranges most likely look _stoned_. Am I right, Lauren?"

Giggling, she handed over the picture she'd just placed onto a clean piece of paper. "See for yourself."

She lifted her right hand and took the picture, Karnt and Meris leaning in to look at it. "Yes," Meris agreed. "Stoned."

"Wasted," chuckled Karntaan. "Jase would be so proud."

"Who?" Draco questioned, eyebrow raised.

"Jason, our little brother, or our friend," Karnt answered.

Lauren nodded. "He's an Avery. About three years younger than the twins, I think."

The Lestrange shrugged. "He was raised as our little brother. And I think he's already bigger than us. That's really annoying."

"I thought Rohan was the one who didn't like short jokes," Megan said curiously.

"I'm not Rohan and that wasn't a short joke," Karnt sighed, rolling his eyes at her. "Parkington, maybe you should see if you can wake up Ro. He's kind of...really asleep."

For the boy had snuggled closer to her, enjoying the warmth she provided as he slept. Estella blushed, both cheeks turning red as several students laughed at her expense. She shifted her position, brushing Rohan's black hair away from his face and calling his name softly. Touching the side of his face gently, she saw his eyes move beneath the closed lids and bit her lip. "Ro?" she asked.

The boy stirred slightly, but hid his face in her sleeve, shivering as his breathing became slightly ragged. "No!" he moaned, then began muttering in his half-waking state.

"Rohan," she said to him gently, then performed the blue spell on him again.

The Lestrange boy became still, just as Draco said, "There's a spastic in every set of—ooh!"

Karntaan had jumped up and punched Draco in the stomach as hard as he could, glaring at him. "Don't you dare speak of Rohan that way," he said coldly. "Just wait. Wait til _you_ 've had a run-in with the law, or an extended stay with dementors. You won't find sympathy, Malfoy: you don't deserve it."

Lauren hurried to her cousin, healing his pain and helping him to sit down beside her, away from the Lestranges. Estella was now attempting to wake Ro the rest of the way so that he could go down to lunch with the rest of the Slytherins. Karntaan came over to them, Meris scooting over to watch.

Karnt looked down at his twin, then grasped his left shoulder and shook him gently, speaking softly in French. Meris smiled a little, but Estella was clueless to what was being said, and merely held the Lestrange boy until his body jerked suddenly and his eyes opened. "Ro?" Estella asked.

"Where am I?" asked Rohan, trying to sit up immediately. "What's wrong with Malfoy?"

"Your brother Muggle-punched him," said one of the older boys, laughing a little.

"Score!" Rohan chuckled, stretching and scooting away. "Ah, Parkington, I didn't just sleep all over you, did I?"

"Unless you moved a lot when I was sleeping too, no," she replied. "But the four of us..."

"Were kind of cuddly," Meris laughed, and Karnt joined in, Rohan looking uncomfortable. "There were dementors around the lake last night, so a lot of the Slytherins slept in the Common Room."

Rohan sighed. "And we had a bad reaction, so Parkington decided we needed a hug—"

Alvin snorted. "An all-night hug," he said, bringing more laughter from the other Slytherins.

The second Lestrange twin finally cracked a smile, and Estella said, "Actually, I just kind of felt that you needed reassurance. You wouldn't respond when I spoke to you, even after the specialized warming spell. So I just settled down between you, and the four of us fell asleep."

Shaking his head, Rohan scooted away from Estella before getting to his feet. "I'm hungry," he said. "Not much of anything else, though."

"Guess what?" Blaise said, coming down the stairs with several other students that appeared to have lost sleep. "Lupin's leaving _really soon_. He's catching a cab out of Hogsmeade right after lunch."

"Why?" came the question from several new Slytherins that had entered the Common Room.

"Because he's a werewolf," Draco smirked. "Better spread the news."

"Better learn how to fist-fight," retorted Karnt. "C'mon, Ro. Let's go get lunch. You too, Meris."

The third Lestrange got up, and Rohan turned to look at Estella. "Coming, Parkington?"

Estella looked up at him, then said, "Yeah, sure." She turned to Lauren. "May I keep this picture?" Lauren nodded, and Estella grinned. "Thanks!" She hurried out of the room with the three Lestrange cousins.

The four walked into the Great Hall together, finding the atmosphere tense. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables were very quiet, and Gryffindor seemed to pulsate with anger. The Slytherin House table was mostly empty, but quickly filled up as Slytherin students came into the Hall just at the right intervals so that the door wouldn't shut between each student.

The four paused at the Entrance before Meris and Estella moved as one, heading toward the Slytherin House table. The twins flanked them, all walking quickly until they sat down near the middle of their House table. Karnt glanced at Estella. "Do you have any idea what's going on?" he asked.

"No," Estella answered. "But I'm guessing something happened with Sirius Black last night. I don't really know what's going on."

"How do you think we could find out?" the boys asked her.

"Why do you think I know how to find out everything?" she asked them back. "I don't know everything, and it's probably better that I don't. I don't exactly live with a family that supports Death Eater activity, or betrayal, or anything like that."

"But if the youngest Weasel helped—" Meris began.

"He couldn't have," came an older voice, and the four Slytherins looked up to see Percy Weasley looking down at them. "Ron's in the Hospital Wing with a broken leg. Estella: Potter, Ron, and Granger are all claiming that Sirius Black is innocent. They helped him escape last night—at least, that's what Snape is saying. Snape is furious."

Estella and the Lestranges looked up toward the Head table, then back at Percy. "He does look a little...upset," Karnt agreed, "but he's pretty smug that he blew Lupin's cover, I think."

Percy looked awkwardly at the four, then said, "Did you all know?"

The Lestranges said no, but Estella nodded, biting her lip. "I realized it in class," she told the Head Boy. "I didn't tell anyone, though. Snape let it slip, though, and so the Slytherins have been spreading it."

"Why are you telling him that?" hissed Rohan, elbowing her sharply.

"Because he's Percy Weasley and I know him," Estella answered, rolling her eyes. "He's graduating this year, anyway. And because Ron and Harry will be telling everyone that will listen the same thing. Percy can be trusted—more so than most Gryffindors."

"I was down to visit Ron earlier," Percy said to Estella. "Parkinson was telling Malfoy what she'd seen last night. And Madam Pomfrey wants to see you."

"Me?" Estella said in astonishment. "Why me? I'm not sick, or—"

Percy sighed. "Estella. You have thought about your electives, have you not?" She nodded, and he continued, "Madam Pomfrey wishes you to meet her in the Hospital Wing at one thirty. McGonagall will be there to discuss your...next school year."

Estella smiled, nodding in sudden understanding. "Thanks!" she said brightly as Draco entered the Hall with Lauren, both talking in hushed tones. Percy nodded and left for the Gryffindor table as Draco and Lauren sat down opposite them at the Slytherin table.

The dark-haired girl didn't look at them, but ate quietly, savouring her strong, hot tea. Meris glanced sideways at her. "Why does she want to discuss your electives in the Hospital Wing?" he asked her quietly. "Is she that worried about you?"

"No," Estella chuckled, grinning as she replied, "I might be taking a special class eventually, but I don't know if third year will be an advanced enough year to begin it. I'll have to see, and then I can tell you about it."

"Don't forget," Meris warned her, and she smiled.

"I won't," she promised. "Now I've got to go. I'm supposed to be there in twenty minutes and it takes me ten minutes if I don't run." She caught Draco's eye as she stood, laughing, and walked away from the table, happy with herself.

She arrived in the Hospital Wing with nearly fifteen minutes to spare and smirked to herself inside. Estella had disappeared into the cover of Ginny Weasley, who was now reporting for her meeting with her Head of House, and Madam Pomfrey. Glancing around the Hospital Wing, Ginny saw Ron sleeping in one of the beds, Pansy on the other side of the Hospital Wing eating lunch by herself.

Ginny slipped over to Pansy, not thinking of herself as herself, and said, "Are you all right?"

"Go _away_ , Weasley!" Pansy snapped angrily, turning her face away from the redhead.

"Sorry," Ginny said quietly, annoyed with herself for forgetting she was only Ginny Weasley at the moment, not Estella Parkington.

"Ms. Weasley!" came McGonagall's stern voice, and Ginny turned to see her Head of House standing before the matron's office door. "Join us in the office."

Taking a deep breath, Ginny crossed the ward and entered the office. The two older witches were seated there, taking after-lunch tea together. "Ms. Weasley," said the matron, nodding at her. "Have a seat, dear."

Ginny sat down, her left hand on her lap caressing her wand, which she held in her right hand. McGonagall glanced at the redhead over her glasses, then asked, "What was the last spell you did with that wand, Ms. Weasley?"

"The—" began Ginny, then stopped, realizing it wasn't the Patronus. "A specialized warming spell for dementor victims," she replied truthfully.

"Which was necessary _why_?" demanded McGonagall in astonishment.

"Professor: there were dementors out by the lake last night," Ginny said. "I stayed the night in the dungeons, and a lot of the Slytherins were effected by the dementors' proximity. Several of us spent the night in the Common Room instead of our dorm rooms, and I used that spell on a couple of boys that were effected the worst."

The two women looked shocked, and Ginny smiled sheepishly as McGonagall asked sharply, " _Why_ did you spend the night down there?"

Ginny's lips tightened. "Because my Gryffindor dorm mates don't wish me to stay with them."

"I don't know why you're worried about how she'd treat Slytherins," Madam Pomfrey told Professor McGonagall. "She certainly gets along with them all right if she's helping them overcome the effects of a dementor."

"Dementor _s_ ," Ginny emphasized the plural.

"Your wand," McGonagall said, holding out her left hand. Ginny glared at her, then handed it over, rubbing her arms uncomfortably. " **Priori Incantatem!** " said the witch, and began to watch as different shapes came out of Ginny's wand. "A Patronus! Is this Fox Patronus yours, Ms. Weasley?"

The redhead nodded. "Professor Lupin taught me to do it," she said. "I asked him to help me and he did. I wanted to know in order to help my friends."

Professor McGonagall seemed impressed. "He didn't say you had asked him," she told Ginny.

"I think he knew that I'd rather not everyone knew," said Ginny, looking at the two women. "Did you ask me here just to check my wand? What are you looking for? I'm sure I could incriminate myself."

"You sound like the twins," the matron told her. "They're always to blame for someone arriving here in the Hospital Wing."

Professor McGonagall smiled almost fondly. "Ah, yes," she mused, then responded, "Have you thought about your electives for next year?"

Smiling, Ginny nodded. "I'd like to do Ancient Runes and Arithmancy for my electives," she replied. "I already have groundwork in Magical Creatures, and I don't intend to do any direct work with Muggles. I'd rather not set foot in the Divination Tower, either."

"Why would you choose those two?" Madam Pomfrey queried. "They are the most difficult electives, of course."

"I'd like to understand magic more deeply," she answered. "To understand what makes it do what it does, and how it effects what we do as wizards and witches."

"I find nothing wrong with that," Professor McGonagall agreed. "But I do wonder: what do you wish to do when you are out of school?"

"I—I'd like to be a Healer, I think," Ginny replied softly, looking up at the two shyly. "I want to do something good in the world."

The two nodded, and Professor McGonagall told Ginny, "I don't think any of your classes will conflict next year, but we do have something for you to think about over the summer."

Ginny nodded once and asked, "What is it?"

Madam Pomfrey picked up a piece of parchment and gave it to Ginny. "This is the Healer's Oath, Ginevra. You will have to swear to keep this oath before you will be allowed to become an apprentice here. The Headmaster, your Head of House, and I believe you should have the summer to think this over: you will have to sign this paper and turn it in to us before you will be allowed to begin."

"Read it carefully," Professor McGonagall told her student. "Don't make a hasty decision. Being a Healer is not easy—neither is becoming one—and Madam Pomfrey is one of the best Healers in Britain!"

"So to who would I give the parchment?" Ginny asked, turning the parchment over as she looked at it, then back up at the two women. "And as soon as I return next year?"

"If you sign the paper, it will become two papers," Madam Pomfrey told her. "Then you will take one to your Head of House, and bring the other to me."

"When you get off the train next year, you may come directly to my office," Professor McGonagall ordered her. "I will be explaining Hogwarts to the First Years as always, and will be by my office soon afterward. I should have your class schedule, and will give it to you then."

Madam Pomfrey nodded slightly, finishing her tea. "When you have your schedule—if you have signed the paper—bring it to me, and I will be able to tell you when you can be on duty here with me. Now. I have things to do. If you two wish to talk, you are welcome. Good day, Ms. Weasley." She stood and left the office.

Professor McGonagall looked over at Ginny. "Do think carefully about it," she told the girl again. "You'll regret a hasty decision. If you need another opinion, ask for one. I think you can handle it, but you will be watched to make sure you keep the Healer's Oath."

"Yes, Professor," Ginny answered respectfully.

"You may leave," Professor McGonagall said, rising from her chair and opening the door. Ginny left the room, the parchment clutched firmly in her hand.

* * *

Percy told Ginny to sit with him on the train on the way back to King's Cross. She decided that it was probably best that she sit with Percy, even though she really wanted to sit with her friends, and the Lestranges. She sat across from him quietly until she tired of reading the end of her book and looked up.

"Something on your mind?" he asked her.

"I—I've decided to take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy next year," Ginny replied, taking out her parchment and handing it to him. "And there's this." She bit her lip, watching him look over the words.

"Did you ask for an apprenticeship?" Percy asked in surprise.

Ginny nodded. "I think I've been accepted, but I have to read this Healer's Oath, sign it, and swear it before I'm allowed to serve at Hogwarts."

Percy set the parchment down and gave her a double high-five. "Wonderful, Ginny!" he praised her proudly. "This is great!"

She blushed a little and murmured, "I don't really want Mum and Dad to know yet. I'd like to have some training before I announce that I'm learning."

"So they won't ask you advice, or won't criticize?" Percy teased.

"Ha!" said Ginny, and they laughed together as the witch with the food and treat cart came into their compartment.

"Pick what you want," Percy told her. "My treat."

Ginny smiled a little and picked out a couple sandwiches, and Percy handed over the coins. The witch said goodbye to them, and left the compartment. "Thanks," she told her brother.

He smiled at her. "I'm proud of you," he told her softly. "Keep up the good work, and don't worry about what the others say. It's not just prats that are made into prefects and put in high places like that."

She nodded, then Transfigured part of her sandwich into raw meat, increasing the quantity before Transfiguring it into live rodents for her bitemates. Percy gasped in shock, drawing his feet up onto the seat. "How many of them have you got?" he asked her.

"Seventeen," she replied promptly. "I got them all from Egypt: they're all Icythan's bitemates."

"Aaand you're taking all of them to the Burrow?" Percy asked uncomfortably.

"Yes," she answered matter of factly. "I am responsible for them, and I have to keep all of them with me."

He looked at them nervously. "How did you get all of them to school?"

Ginny looked down at her bitemates. "Apparated them into the Chamber during the summer," she answered. "I didn't know what was going on because Mum had screwed around with my memories again, but Icythan guided me through it all, and I moved his bitemates to the Chamber."

"You can _apparate_?" Percy said in astonishment.

"Oh." Ginny bit her lip. "Yes. Percy, put your feet on the floor. The bitemates will not bite you unless I order them to, which I won't." He obeyed her, and she continued, "I can do a lot of things I'm not supposed to be able to yet, but that shouldn't surprise you."

"No?" the compartment door opened and the twins came in, sitting down beside Ginny and Percy, opposite each other. "We figured out your punishment for your betrayal," said Fred.

Ginny smiled slightly. "What's that?"

They scowled at her. "We won't protect you from Mum—"

"No matter how much she rants—"

"Or how much you want us to help—"

"During the whole summer," finished Fred. "You're on your own."

The seventeen bitemates returned to Ginny, and she leaned forward, accepting them back onto her body. "Okay."

The twins stared. "Ginny—!"

"Seventeen," Ginny answered. "I got them in Egypt, and they're Icythan's bitemates. I got them all to the Chamber through apparition, which you heard the one time I woke you in the middle of the night when we were staying at Bill's flat."

"And you're keeping them _where_?" George asked incredulously.

"Under your beds," Ginny answered. "Just to make sure you don't plan any pranks to go along with your un-protectionist attitude."

Fred snorted. "You expect a snake—" they hissed, and Fred corrected, "A serpent. You expect a serpent to keep us under control?"

Ginny stroked Odessa, who was still on her left forearm. "They are all venomous, and can kill with their bite if I order them to. I can also order them to bite to Stun." Tishri hissed something else, and Ginny smiled, not about to relay that to the twins.

"They can understand English," Percy told the twins. "Right, Gin?"

"Yes," Ginny answered. "You can speak to them, and they will know what you say, but they won't be able to reply exactly unless I translate."

The twins scoffed. "You may think that our not standing up for you won't be a big deal, but you don't understand how much we've stood between you and Mum before."

Ginny frowned. "If this is like my ending my pax with Ron, then this is going to be a killer summer."

"Probably," Percy agreed, and the twins jumped up.

"We warned you, Ginny," they said. "See you at the station." Fred and George left the compartment and Ginny sat back, sighing a little.

"Ginny, it is going to be a lot more difficult," Percy told her. "You can hide in my room sometimes if you need to during the day. Also, you need to ward your room or your bed, or even both every night in case your nightmares come back. That's the last thing we need."

She sighed, continuing to stroke her bitemates. After a moment, she asked, "Percy, may I lie down?"

He motioned her to go ahead, and she came over to his bench, lying down all curled up, her head on his lap. "Thanks," she said softly, and he gently brushed her hair back before conjuring a blanket and spreading it over her.

"Rest well," he told her. "I'll wake you when the train begins to slow down."

"Thanks," she murmured, then drifted off to sleep, resting on her brother's lap.


End file.
